4.6. SR 06-04-2001 - Laserfiche WebLink

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The XKE - 8 horse motor - mounted on skids - remote control - 10 mph. application rate - $7,445. The MAG - 3 ½ horse motor - works well from a four-wheeler for doing parks or ball fields - speed 2 to 5 mph - $2,695. Clark Mosquito Control has a unit similar to the Model 1820 called a Grizzly. The applicator is self-adjusting according to your speed, the top end of which is approximately 22 mph., and it can be remotely controlled in the cab of a pick-up. However, the Grizzly is $5,000 v~ersus the $9,455 that the Model 1820 costs. The three companies referenced also sell the insecticide. Mike Debelak from London Fog recommended Ready To Use (RTU), which is four percent permethrin, a brand of synthetic pyrethrin. This product is specifically aimed at mosquitoes and biting flies, but staff would need to research it further before the city would actually use it. RTU costs $35/gallon. One ounce is applied per acre. Assuming Elk River's entire forty-four square miles was sprayed, 220 gallons will be needed. Spraying every last acre of Elk River would be physically impossible without a helicopter and probably not necessary. Spraying along roadsides, as proposed by Dana Dunklau, would probably be sufficient. Staff estimates the cost of the pesticide and staff time for spraying from roads at $500 per application. Again, to be effective the city would need to spray approximately once a week from June 1 st to the first of August. BTI briquettes are also available to spread in wetlands to kill the mosquitoes in their larval stage. These briquettes cost $74.50 per one hundred. Each briquette covers 100 square feet of wetland. These may be useful for wetlands in highly populated areas of the city, but would be impractical to use citywide due to the number and size of our wetlands. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE MOSQUITO CONTROL APPLICATION Staff has been in contact with Doree Maser of the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. Whether the city is included in the Metropolitan Mosquito Control District, contracts for mosquito control or chooses to conduct its own mosquito control (even just for one summer festival), a Mosquito Control Application has to be approved by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. Staff has this application and Ms. Maser indicated that there is a fairly fast turn around on it. However, decisions on whether or not to do some sort of mosquito control this year will need to be made fairly soon. If the city chooses to do its own mosquito control, it does not need to have a commercial applicators license. SUMMARY Staff's main concerns regarding the issue of mosquito control were: environmental effects, effectiveness and cost. After researching the topic, these concerns have been mostly alleviated.