10/22/2026
We have received several complaints about the strong change in odor of our truck treatments. About six weeks ago, we started using a pesticide, Fyfanon ULV, that had previously not been a part of our rotation. It does have a distinctly unpleasant odor, so we understand your concern.
We rotate our insecticides approximately every 3 months to prevent mosquitoes from building resistance. Just like you can develop antibiotic resistance, so can mosquitoes to pesticides. When we rotate pesticides, we are changing the active ingredient they can become resistant to.
Despite its bad smell, Fyfanon is proving to be highly effective at killing mosquitoes and we would like to keep it in our arsenal - particularly during West Nile virus season.
There is an essential oil additive that can be used to help mask the odor. However, it increases the cost per acre and adds more man hours to the mixing process, equating to a higher cost for these treatments. Our goal is to balance the most effective public health protection with the responsible use of taxpayer dollars.
We initially decided to try the product without the masking oil, but we are listening to your feedback and will continue to monitor how this treatment is received. If you have thoughts or feedback about our treatments, please feel free to reach out to us. Your input helps us serve our community better.
We want to make sure you’re never in the dark about what, when and where we are treating.
🔔 Get automated alerts before we treat your area (via text, call, or email): https://stpmad.org/request-notification/
