Mosquito fogging trucks to begin summer routes in Nixa, Mo., on June 5

NIXA, Mo. (KY3) - The city of Nixa announced its annual effort to curb the population of mosquitos in the city limits will kick off on June 5.

“We do this in order to cut down on the amount of disease-carrying mosquitos within the Nixa city limits,” a social media post from the city read.

The process involves a truck outfitted with equipment to spray a fogged cloud of a diluted chemical agent specifically targeting mosquitoes, flies, and gnats. The city insists that chemical is not harmful to humans, animals, or plants in the forms it uses.

“We would not spray if it were dangerous for our residents,” the city’s website states. “The chemical we use is MasterLine Kontrol 4 (for mosquitoes, flies, and gnats). The active ingredients are Permethrin and Piperonyl Butoxide, and they are highly diluted. 90% of what gets sprayed is an inert oil mist.”

The city’s fogging truck will treat different quadrants of the city each night from Monday-Thursday from 7 p..m. to 9 p.m., a map of which can be found on the city’s information page.

“We try to spray the city parks more than once per week and also drop mosquito abatement in ponds and other standing water areas in the city,” the website states. “Keep in mind additional city streets not on the map may also be sprayed. We don’t go down every single street in an area each week, but alternate streets from week to week.”

The city is asking residents to assist in the effort by removing any standing water on their property.

The Centers for Disease Control says mosquitoes can carry dangerous diseases like the West Nile Virus, dengue fever, and Zika.

For more detailed information about any of the pesticides mentioned in this article, a list can be found on the National Pesticide Information Center’s website.

To report a correction or typo, please email digitalnews@ky3.com

Copyright 2023 KY3. All rights reserved.