Jamestown schedules mosquito fogging citywide Tuesday and Wednesday

City crews were set to fog for mosquitoes across Jamestown, starting in the Northwest and Northeast before moving into the Southeast and Southwest if weather allowed. The work was scheduled to begin at about 10 p.m. Tuesday and continue until about 6 a.m. Wednesday, and motorists were told to use caution while children and pets stayed off the streets and away from the fogging machines.

Jamestown’s vector-control program is meant to control mosquito populations and other vectors in and around the city. It is paid for with a $1.50 fee on each resident’s monthly utility bill, and the city’s staff directory lists William Laskowski as the vector-control officer; residents seeking more information were directed to 701-320-5503.

The city said the schedule depended on changing weather conditions and wind speeds, which can determine whether fogging can be applied safely and effectively. The city’s program describes fogging as adulticiding, a method used to knock down adult mosquitoes quickly, while larviciding begins in spring as warmer temperatures thaw ponds, ditches and sloughs where mosquitoes can breed.

North Dakota Health and Human Services said preventing mosquito bites is the most effective way to avoid West Nile virus, and that risk remains anytime mosquitoes are active even when no human cases have been reported so far this year. Amanda Bakken, the state’s West Nile surveillance coordinator, said residents should use EPA-registered repellent, wear long sleeves and pants, limit outdoor activity between dusk and dawn, eliminate standing water around homes, and keep window and door screens in good repair.