Village to Spray for Mosquitoes Friday Night

The will spray for mosquitoes after 9 p.m. Friday, according to an e-blast sent Thursday afternoon.

Public Works Director Ralph Pukula is urging residents who wish to be notified of spraying to sign up for Nixle, an electronic news service that sends instant updates to registered users.

The village previously used a company called One Call that would alert residents to mosquito spraying through a telephone call. However, the company recently went out of business, Pukula said.

Nixle sends alerts to users' e-mail addresses, phones or web accounts. The service is free for the village and its users, and can be accessed through the village's Web site.

Currently, alerts are sent out by the village's administrative office, Lemont Public Works and the Lemont Police Department. All alerts copy directly to the village's Twitter account (@VillageofLemont).

Residents can register for Nixle messages at http://local.nixle.com/village-of-lemont.

More on mosquito spraying

Mosquito spraying will begin this month and continue through Labor Day. Tablets have already been applied to storm drains that hold water, as well as areas that would be suitable for mosquitoes to hatch.

Pukula said the village will spray every 20-25 days in an average year, depending on activity.

Sprays will only occur at dusk when mosquitoes are active, and will take about four hours to complete. Since sprays are sensitive to wind, they will only occur on calm evenings with no rain.

Because there are carryover effects from the department's travel pattern, not every street in the village is sprayed, Pukula said.

Homeowner tips, courtesy of Lemont Public Works

• Eliminate standing water around the home

• Change water in bird baths every two to three days

• Repair outdoor faucets and sprinklers

• Keep roof gutters clean

• Don’t impede any water flow that might be on your property

• Drain plastic wading pools daily

• Keep lighting to a minimum near entry doors to the home

• Wear mosquito repellent

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