Des Moines cuts mosquito spraying due to budget constraints

By CNN Newsource

Published May 16, 2025 12:52 PM

By Todd Magel

DES MOINES, Iowa (KCCI) — Des Moines is cutting back on mosquito spraying this summer due to budget cuts, marking the first time in more than 25 years that the city won’t be spraying neighborhoods to control mosquitoes.

Bonnie Davis, a Des Moines resident, expressed her frustration with the decision.

“And if there’s one mosquito out there, it’ll find me. Trust me,” Davis said. She added, “I thought, oh, no, you must be kidding. I’m the person that’s so allergic to mosquitoes. They last for two weeks, and I can’t stop itching them. I really need mosquito spraying.”

The city ended the program to save about $300,000. Dalton Jacobus, a neighborhood inspections administrator, explained the shift in approach.

“We’ve seen other cities kind of shy or move away from the citywide mosquito spray missions. And if they do it, it’s mostly in targeted areas, parks and around festivals and stuff. But it’s generally atypical for cities to do what we have been doing,” Jacobus said.

This week, Des Moines crews conducted a one-time larvicide air drop to kill mosquito eggs in selected wet areas. However, the traditional fog trucks won’t be out in neighborhoods this summer, and mosquito traps and counters to collect data will also be absent. The city no longer has a hotline to report mosquitoes and advises residents to eliminate stagnant water, cut grass, ensure tight window screens, and use plenty of bug repellent.

“As an organization, we’re always concerned in our priorities to make sure that people are healthy and safe. But we got to balance our budget constraints. And so that’s kind of the reality that we’re faced with,” Jacobus said.

The city also says that while spraying for mosquitoes does help somewhat, in most cases, it doesn’t justify the cost of the insect control programs.

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