First round of aerial spraying complete

RANGELY I The Town of Rangely completed aerial insecticide spraying earlier this week, the first of three rounds scheduled through the summer months.
Coulter Aviation of Meeker, the company that does the spraying, uses Kontrol 30-30 around Rangely but not directly in town, Rangely Town Manager Peter Brixius said. Product advertisements claim that the insecticide is safe to use around crops, livestock, residential areas, and woodlands.
Brixius said that the town uses the aerial spray, slow-release insecticide briquettes, and a malathion fog to help control insect populations in town.
“The planes don’t actually spray in town,” Brixius said. “They hit all of the areas around town and get almost out to the dam, then go a little bit west of us downriver. In town, we focus on parks, the golf course—where there are a lot of green areas.”
However, Brixius isn’t aware of an effective agent to treat the seemingly higher population of gnats this year.
“There is no spray that I’m aware of that deals with gnats,” he said. “The only thing we can control is mosquitoes. Gnats are kind of a seasonal thing. They live by their own rules.”