Vector Control Program

Purpose of the Program

To reduce environmental public health threats associated with mosquito and rat infestations in Memphis and Shelby County through larval and adult mosquito abatement, rodenticiding, trapping, surveillance, habitat reduction, public education, community outreach, and public health advisory media releases. An entomologist oversees the professional and technical functions of the county-wide mosquito surveillance and abatement program. The rat control program focuses on reducing the rat population by enhancing urban sanitation practices through enforcement of local environmental sanitation ordinances, conducting residential block surveys, investigating citizens’ complaints, promoting community education outreach and baiting as required to abate rat infestations.

Who it Serves

The citizens of the incorporated and unincorporated areas of Shelby County including Arlington, Bartlett, Collierville, Germantown, Lakeland, Memphis, and Millington.

Types of Services Provided

  • Community Outreach
  • Enforcement of Grass and Weed Ordinances
  • Home Rat Inspection and Treatment
  • Mosquito-borne Disease Abatement
  • Mosquito-borne Disease Alerts
  • Nuisance Mosquito Abatement
  • Public Education
  • Sanitation Hazards
  • Unsanitary Residences

Types of Public Concerns Serviced

  • Dirty Dog Yards
  • Discarded Waste Tires
  • Garbage/Trash Nuisances
  • High/Grass Weeds
  • Illegal Dumping
  • Insect/Arthropod Identification
  • Mosquito Problems
  • Mosquito Spraying
  • Rat Harborage
  • Rat Infestations
  • Rodenticiding
  • Sewage Leaks
  • Unsanitary Residences