Mosquito spray may be ineffective across Sugar Land, a city study found.
The big picture
At a Feb. 24 meeting, Sugar Land City Council concurred with city staff’s recommendation to decrease spray totals to one per week from the current two, with additional sprays in zones where mosquitoes test positive for disease.
The city currently sprays for mosquitoes once a week from May to October, with a second spray during peak season to protect public health, complementing larval control efforts, increasing quality of life and mitigation response, Director of Public Works Herc Meier said.
The details
The decision came after Meier presented data from a nine-week spray treatment study, which showed that no-spray zones had fewer average mosquitoes per trap than those with one or two sprays.
Meier said the lack of mosquito population decrease could be due to many factors, including:
- High baseline population
- High replacement rate
- Migration from neighboring areas
- Pesticide resistance
The background
The nine-week study, which took place during May and June of 2025, split the city into six spray zones with three spray treatments—no spray, one spray and two sprays—Meier said. Zones received a different spray treatment each week to determine spray effectiveness.
What’s next?
Based on council direction, Meier said another recommendation may be presented next year after more data is collected. Texas state law does not require mosquito control.
