CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The city’s Vector Control unit will be making their rounds this week spraying for mosquitos.
Priority number one is to knock out those tiny pests, but city officials have plans to minimize potential harm from the pesticide spray.
“The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, they come through and do audits, and they do inspection of our Vector Control and make sure that the chemicals we’re using are in the realm of being able to operate under” says Joel Skidmore, Animal Care Services program manager.
The pesticides sprayed here in our city are regulated by the Department of Agriculture as well.
When it comes to practicing safety with chemical pesticides, Executive Director Michael Womack with South Texas Botanical Gardens says, “anytime any chemical is used, you have to follow the directions, particularly in a public space, but even in your private yards, you have to follow the label, the label is the law.”
Vector Control sprays the city in the evenings when most mosquitos are out to minimize contact with people and other pollinators such as butterflies and bees.
Skidmore, who is in charge of the city’s mosquito spraying efforts, recommends people stay inside for a while when your neighborhood is being sprayed.
“If you get caught, if you’re out walking and vector control drives down and they’re doing their spray, it’s not going to adversely affect you,” says Skidmore.
In order to spray public areas you must be a licensed pesticide applicator and get re-certified every year. Improper use of the chemicals can lead to fines or even suspension.
According to Animal Care Services, the city has not had any documented instances of the spray harming people in the area.
