Austin residents should be itching less and enjoying the outdoors more after a successful spraying for mosquitoes that took one night instead of two.

Friday, August 11, 2000

Austin residents should be itching less and enjoying the outdoors more after a successful spraying for mosquitoes that took one night instead of two.

More’s Ag Center owner Paul More said Thursday the application took two trucks from 8 p.m. Wednesday to 6:30 a.m. Thursday. He reported no problem with children following the trucks, although he did mention that the other sprayer complained of being tailed by TV crews.

"The application went very well from our standpoint," More said Thursday afternoon. "The weather was ideal and we got a lot of positive feedback from the public. People would drive by us with their windows down and cheer."

Austin City Council at-large member Dick Chaffee was happy that the city was taking measures to control the pesty mosquito population.

"I think the fogging was an excellent idea," the Austin native said. "I don’t think its too late either, we may not get a frost until late in the season so I’d rather attack the problem now."

More originally had thought the spraying would take two nights, but even after giving the fairgrounds "a real good dose" at about 5 a.m., they managed to cover the entire city in one night, driving mostly north and south.

Weather permitting, More plans the second of three applications for Wednesday night. More said the synthetic chemical used, Anvil 2+2, acts to kill adult mosquitoes within 20 minutes or so of the spraying. It is very low risk to humans and animals and also very effective for gnats and flies as well as mosquitoes.

For those who remember the huge cloud of white fog that would billow out of the back of the sprayer trucks, watching More spray was less impressive but safer.

"In the old days, they used a huge engine and blower," the licensed sprayer said. "The product they used wasn’t as safe and it also damaged the finish on cars. We use a better product now."