Santee Cooper announces Clarendon mosquito spraying

MONCKS CORNER, S.C. – Santee Cooper’s Vector Management department will spray at locations around Lake Moultrie and Lake Marion at various times during the prime mosquito season.

In Clarendon County, the following Santee Cooper subdivisions will be serviced: Cantey Bay, Prince sections I-III, Francis Marion, Taw Caw, W.B. Davis, Gin Pond, West Wyboo, Rowland, White Oak sections I-III, Frierson, Clark, Davis, Church Branch and Wyboo.

“We use three main weapons in our efforts to control mosquitoes,” said Jay Hudson, manager of environmental management for Santee Cooper.

“Reducing sources of standing water and other mosquito breeding grounds is our most effective tactic, and we do this through educating residents. We also seek to eliminate mosquito larvae and to target adult mosquitoes through spraying by truck or aerially.”

Santee Cooper uses the EPA-approved chemicals Permethrin, which is sprayed by truck, and Naled, which is delivered aerially, as well as biological control agents containing BTI (Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis) or methoprene to target mosquito larvae. Employees who spray are licensed by the S.C. Dept. of Pesticide Regulation. Santee Cooper’s Vector Management department works with county agencies to prevent duplication of efforts.

The prime season for mosquitoes generally runs from April through October. Adult mosquitoes are the most active around sunrise and sunset, and populations tend to increase after significant rainfall.

For more information, visit www.santeecooper.com.