In Southwest Louisiana, mosquitos are an unfortunate fact of life. In addition to preventive measures you can take around your property, the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury has a program to help control mosquitos across the parish – a service that isn’t duplicated by any municipality!
The program is large. Read on to learn more about the details of our efforts, and click through the included links to learn more from the CPPJ website.
The Program
The Calcasieu Parish Police Jury’s mosquito control program includes nearly 50 dedicated staff members, 12 spray trucks and two airplanes – with the ability to add two additional portable spray units as needed.
The program’s activities include:
Sampling and surveillance to identify the areas with the highest mosquito populations
Ground application (spray trucks)
“Off-Road” (spraying by hand or via ATV in hard-to-reach areas)
Larviciding (treating standing water to eliminate mosquitoes before they hatch or become biting adults!)
This includes areas like roadside ditches, catch basins, flooded lots and other areas that cannot be easily drained regularly.
Service requests to assist residents in controlling mosquitoes around their property
The police jury’s mosquito program uses EPA-approved products for all activities.
Sampling and Surveillance
Did you know the spray schedule is not set in stone? It’s based on surveillance of adult mosquito populations across the parish.
The surveillance program benefits are twofold. First, it ensures our program is cost-effective. We can and should use your tax dollars as efficiently as possible. Second, it allows the mosquito control team to evaluate the success of its activities. If something works well, we can do more of it. If it isn’t working, we can look for alternative solutions.
Our surveillance network is large, and it includes a variety of traps to identify the areas most in need of intervention. Click here for details on the specific traps employed by the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury’s mosquito control program.
Service Requests
Did you know the CPPJ mosquito control team is available for service requests? If you’ve got a mosquito problem, call 337-721-3780 between the hours of 6:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. You’ll be asked for information like your name, address and the details of your mosquito problem.
Typically, service requests are inspected within 24 hours of your call. Prior to adding your area to the spray schedule, an inspector will visit to ensure all preventive measures are followed and that there is not a likely source of mosquito production that can be eliminated. The inspector’s report is then logged with other surveillance to help set the next spray schedule.
Click here for more details on service requests.
Spray Schedule
The Calcasieu Parish mosquito spray schedule is an intricate and impressive program. It covers the entire parish, which is split into more than 93 designated truck spray zones. As mentioned above, the spray schedule is not set in stone, it’s based on surveillance each day. Click here to see the current schedule, which is posted by 2:30 p.m. each day.
FAQs
What products do you use?
The Calcasieu Parish Police Jury mosquito control program uses products approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Click here for more information on products from the EPA.
Do you use any natural or environmentally friendly methods?
Yes! In fact, our larviciding program, which aims to control mosquitoes before they become flying (biting!) adults, includes bio-rational products – which are naturally occurring but that do kill mosquitoes. You can find a more in-depth description near the bottom of this page.
I’m a teacher, how can my students learn more?
The Calcasieu Parish mosquito control team is available for various education initiatives. These may include field trips to our facility, classroom visits, or use of our library display. Click here to learn more.
The spray truck went through my neighborhood, but it skipped my street! How can I get it to come back?
The parish is divided into spray zones for our trucks, which are divided by roads. It’s possible that you may see the truck covering another spray zone. Click here to see the spray zone map. If you’re experiencing a mosquito problem at your home, make a service request so we can include you when setting our next spray schedule!
Can the truck spray my driveway or private drive?
It’s possible. If your private drive meets the following qualifications, contact the mosquito control team. An inspector will visit to ensure compliance prior to adding it to the spray schedule.
The residence must be at least 300 feet off the road. If it’s closer than that, the property is covered by the existing “effective drift” of the insecticides.
The drive must have a hard surface in good condition. This includes gravel, shell, asphalt or paved driveways. Trucks will not drive on dirt or grass surfaces.
The end of the drive must have enough room for trucks to safely turn around without leaving the hard surface.
If there are speed bumps, they must be at a distance that allows drivers to maintain a constant speed (not too close together).
Posted speed limits must be at least 7 mph.
The drive may not be gated. If a gate exists, it must be open at the time the spray truck comes through.
I was expecting the spray truck, but it never came.
Occasionally, factors outside our control, such as inclement weather, can disrupt the spray schedule. Drivers also watch for safety concerns, such as too many people being outside in a specific area or a roadway blocked by too many cars parked on the street. Beyond that, all spray trucks are equipped with GPS, so the team can ensure planned areas were covered. If you have questions about a specific area, contact the mosquito control team or make a service request.
I tried to flag down a mosquito control team employee in a truck, but he/she did not stop.
For the drivers’ safety, they are instructed not to stop if they’re being flagged down. For questions or requests, contact mosquito control at 337-721-3780.
Still have questions about the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury’s mosquito control program? Click here – the team shares lots of information!
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