'Shocked': Elmhurst Asked Not To Spray For Mosquitoes.

ELMHURST, IL – Several Elmhurst residents told officials Monday that the city is wasting $250,000 on mosquito control every year.

And they said Elmhurst is one of the few towns in the area that rely on regularly spraying chemicals, rather than focusing on larval control and education.

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"I was shocked to find a year ago that the city still sprayed for mosquitoes, assuming this outdated process had been stopped everywhere years ago," resident Dana Magnuson said during a City Council budget meeting. "I discovered how ineffective and wasteful of tax dollars the practice is."

The chemical kills insects and bees, which are important pollinators, she said.

"(The chemical) lands on a small portion of the mosquitoes in the area. Mosquitoes fly an average of three to seven miles. So more just fly in," Magnuson said.

Magnuson pointed to the Clarendon Hills and Lombard municipal websites, which detail mosquito control efforts other than spraying.

The council didn't respond to the residents' comments, following its policy.

Elmhurst's mosquito spraying contractor is Clarke.