Mosquito Abatement

We, Lisle Township, have begun our annual efforts to minimize mosquito populations, reduce the risk of West Nile Virus transmission, and preserve the overall comfort and quality of life of our residents. 

The Township has contracted with St. Charles-based Clarke to provide our community with an integrated mosquito management program. This includes: 

  • Ongoing surveillance to monitor overall mosquito population levels and detect the presence of mosquito-borne disease like West Nile Virus 

  • Mapping known mosquito breeding sites throughout the community 

  • Applying larval control products to known or active mosquito breeding sites such as catch basins, storm drains and standing water sites.  Larval control products (larvicides) work to control mosquitos in the aquatic larval stage. Larvicides are effective at suppressing overall mosquito populations and preventing the hatch-off of flying, biting adults. This will include prehatch larviciding treatments via helicopter at strategic times during the breeding season to prevent mosquito larvae in open waters from developing into flying, biting adults. 

  • Larval mosquito control options for residents to use in backyard ponds, bird baths, planter saucers, and more can be found at local home good stores such as Home Depot, Menards, Lowes, or ACE Hardware. Please review label instructions use accordingly.  

  • Adult mosquito control treatments to quickly reduce adult populations when surveillance indicates a rise in populations or the presence of a mosquito-borne disease like West Nile Virus. This involves applying a very small amount of an EPA-registered adult mosquito control product (an adulticide) though an ultra-low-volume sprayer.  The sprayer creates a fine mist of tiny droplets that move through the air and work by making physical contact with adult mosquitoes in-flight. The treatments are scheduled during the evening hours when mosquitoes are most active. 

Within Illinois, mosquitoes have been known to carry West Nile, St. Louis encephalitis, LaCrosse encephalitis, and Eastern and Western equine encephalitis. Culex mosquitoes are the primary vector of these diseases, particularly WNV. The Aedes mosquito has been reported to carry diseases such as Zika, dengue, chikungunya, and other viruses in tropical and subtropical climates, but mainly acts as a nuisance to residents after heavy rainfalls or flooding in the Midwest. Surveillance via mosquito traps and PCR-testing can reveal whether local mosquito populations are carrying these diseases and additional mosquito control treatments are needed.  

To help reduce the total number of mosquitoes in the area, residents should do their part in source reduction – reducing the habitats mosquitoes need to lay eggs and for larvae to develop. This can be done by removing standing from natural or artificial containers such as bird baths, children’s toys, abandoned tires, buckets, tree holes, or other debris in which water accumulates. To be most effective, this should be done about every four days during the summer season.  

Residents should also use mosquito repellents containing DEET or picaridin according to the product label instructions when outdoors during the mosquito season.  

For more information about mosquito control, visit www.Clarke.com.  

Any resident that lives in a community that contracts with Clarke for its mosquito services can also access the Clarke Portal’s Resident Hotline to report standing water or nuisance mosquito activity online and request pre-treatment notifications via email or text. To enroll, please call 1-800-942-2555 or visit www.clarkeportal.com/hotline.  

Important Notice: New Illinois Pesticide Application Notification Requirements

Lisle Township residents should be aware of new state regulations regarding pesticide applications on public rights-of-way that took effect January 1, 2025. Under Public Act 103-0976 (The Pesticide Application on Rights-of-Way Notification Act), we are implementing enhanced notification procedures to keep our community informed about pesticide applications.

New Notification Requirements for Public Act 103-0976

As of January 1, 2025, Lisle Township must provide written notice at least 24 hours before any pesticide application to public rights-of-way, including:

  • Roadways and road shoulders

  • Sidewalks and walking paths

  • Utility corridors

  • Storm sewers and drainage areas

  • Other public infrastructure areas

Day of Service Notifications

Please note that our current Day of Service notification service provided by our mosquito services provider, Clarke, will continue to be supported.  This additional communication tool is not related to this new regulation compliance, but it is an existing resource Clarke utilizes to provide timely updates about upcoming applications tied to our mosquito population monitoring services.  You can visit to www.clarkeportal.com/hotline to register for this service at any time.

2025 Application Schedule

·        Location: Within Lisle Township boundaries

·        Season: May 1st - October 15th, 2025

·        Larvicide Time of Application: Between dawn to dusk

·        Adulticide Time of Application: Between dusk to dawn

·        Purpose: Mosquito control and disease outbreak prevention

Larvicide Products Being Used

We utilize EPA-registered products approved for residential areas:

  1. Natular® G Mosquito Larvicide Granule (OMRI-listed)

    • 0.5% Spinosad (a mixture of Spinosyn A and Spinosyn D)

    • Labeled Application Rate: Apply at a rate of 3.5 to 9.0 lbs per acre

  2. Natular® G30 Mosquito Larvicide / Extended-Release Granule (OMRI-listed)

    • 2.5% Spinosad (a mixture of Spinosyn A and Spinosyn D)

    • Labeled Application Rate: Apply at a rate of 5.0 to 20.0 lbs per acre

We may also use Natular WSP or Natular XRT in local catch basins.  Catch basin applications are exempt from notification, but for transparency we are providing notice of their use.

Adulticide Products Being Used

We utilize EPA-registered products approved for residential areas:

  1. Biomist® 3+15 ULV (for routine Adult Mosquito Control applications)

o   3.0% Permethrin ((3-phenoxyphenyl) methyl (+/-) cis, trans3-(2,2-dichlorethenyl)-2,2-dimethyl cyclopropanecarboxylate)

o   15% Piperonyl Butoxide

o   Labeled Application Rate: Apply undiluted at a rate of 0.51 to 2.88 fl oz per acre 

Public Safety

These EPA-registered mosquito larvicides and adulticides can be safely applied in residential areas. Residents may remain outside during application, as there are no special safety precautions required according to the product labels.

Emergency Exceptions

Please note that in certain emergency situations, such as disease threats or natural disaster recovery efforts, advance notice requirements may be waived. This includes responses to:

·        Disease-causing agents in mosquito populations

·        Mosquito-borne diseases affecting humans or animals

·        Natural disaster recovery situations

Contact Information                                

For questions or concerns: Clarke Customer Care (Chicagoland area): 1-800-942-2555

To report pesticide misuse, contact the IL Dept of Agriculture, Bureau of Environmental Programs

·        Phone: (800) 641-3934 or (217) 785-2427

·        Website: https://agr.illinois.gov/pesticides.html

The Lisle Township remains dedicated to maintaining effective mosquito control while ensuring transparent communication with our residents. We appreciate your attention to this important update.