A cooperative effort among several departments within the Town of Little Elm is designed to address the annual arrival of mosquito season, says Mike Green, Community Integrity Coordinator.
“Our department is working hand-in-hand with Streets and Storm water along with other Public Works divisions to meet this challenge head-on,” he said. “Our aggressive, proactive approach is one which we believe will provide the best results.”
Developed several years ago, the Little Elm Mosquito Management Plan provides a blueprint for how the Town will confront the yearly mosquito breeding season. The plan has undergone a number of changes and improvements since its inception, chief among them is a much earlier start to the eradication campaign.
“The main points of the plan, though, remain the same,” said Green. “Public awareness and cooperation remain our best defense against mosquito breeding and the spread of disease. Residents can help by taking the time to ensure there is no standing water on their property and keeping the four Ds in mind.”
The four Ds refer to the actions residents can take to decrease their chances of contracting West Nile Virus through a mosquito bite. These include: Dress, wearing long sleeves and long pants when mosquitos are most active; Drain, emptying and overturning containers where water may pool; Dunk, placing larvicides in ponds, water features and fountains; and DEET, using appropriate insect repellant on exposed skin.
“We have not had a West Nile Virus case in Little Elm since 2012, and that was only one person,” he added. “When residents are aware of their impact and cooperate, we feel it makes a major difference.”
The trapping, testing and eradication program has already been in place for several weeks around town. In fact, there are over 75 locations around town where larvicides are applied every 30 days from March to October and additional locations as necessary. At the same time, a number of traps are set up to capture mosquitos for testing. And, the testing has now been brought in-house versus using a testing lab in Austin, saving precious time in getting results of possibly infected mosquitos.
And, as before, the Town is providing free larvicides dunks to residents for use on their private property. The dunks are available at the Recreation Center, Public Works, Town Hall and the Public Safety Building.
“We have essentially every Town employee on notice to be observing the area during their rounds, alerting us to potential breeding sites,” he said. “Once we know of a location, we take immediate action by either adding larvicides or otherwise eliminating it.”
Green says there is virtually no way to tell how serious the mosquito infestation will be this summer, but the Town promises to be ready. “We’ll implement our management plan and continue to be vigilant,” he said. “But again, the public’s awareness and cooperation are keys to our success.”
ABOUT LITTLE ELM – Little Elm is one of the state’s fastest growing communities. Nestled on the shores of Lake Lewisville, the Town was incorporated in 1966, adopting the Council/Manager form of government. The population increased dramatically over the last several years, growing from under 4,000 in 2000 to over 30,000 today. Little Elm’s population exceeds the state average in education and income, and is increasingly trending younger and technologically proficient. The Town’s footprint is just over 14 square miles and boasts some 66 linear miles of shoreline within its boundaries.
