Pests to know in Cheyenne
Termites in Cheyenne
- Wyoming does have termites: the native arid land subterranean termite lives on lower-elevation prairie, and isolated eastern subterranean termite populations occur in towns.[8]
- Laramie County is not on FHA's termite exception list, so new-construction FHA loans there still require termite treatment documentation.[9]
Invasive species reported here
Thousand cankers disease, spread by the walnut twig beetle, was first confirmed in Wyoming in 2021 on two black walnut trees in Cheyenne.[10]
Pests local experts flag
Besides mosquitoes and weeds, Cheyenne's Weed and Pest crew occasionally controls ground squirrels and prairie dogs.[4]
Climate
Central Cheyenne (ZIP 82001) is in USDA plant hardiness zone 5b, where the average coldest winter night is -15 to -10°F.[13]
Public agencies that handle pests
- Cheyenne's Weed, Pest & Vector Control division targets mosquitoes and filth flies, relying mainly on biological control agents.[1]
- The city sets more than 450 adult mosquito traps to find problem areas and collect Culex mosquitoes for West Nile virus testing.[2]
- West Nile virus has been found in every Wyoming county, so state health officials urge repellent and protective clothing.[5]
- Colorado tick fever, a viral illness in Wyoming, spreads through bites from infected Rocky Mountain wood ticks.[6]
- Hantavirus reaches people through airborne virus from rodent urine, droppings and saliva; the deer mouse carries the most common U.S. strain.[7]
Hiring a licensed company
The Wyoming Department of Agriculture enforces the state's Environmental Pesticide Control Act of 1973 and keeps a searchable list of licensed applicators.[12]
Free local help
UW Extension identifies Culex tarsalis as the main West Nile carrier in the West and notes Wyoming logged 375 human cases in 2003.[11]
Through the year
- Summer
- Each July and August, the city places over 100 disposable fly traps around Frontier Park to curb filth flies during Cheyenne Frontier Days.[3]
Sources
- City of Cheyenne Weed & Pest Division, “Weed, Pest & Vector Control.” www.cheyennecity.org/Your-Government/Departments/Community-Recreation-Events/Weed-Pest-Vector-Control (accessed 2026-10-06)
- City of Cheyenne Weed & Pest Division, “Mosquito Control.” www.cheyennecity.org/Your-Government/Departments/Community-Recreation-Events/Weed-Pest-Vector-Control/Mosquito-Control (accessed 2026-10-06)
- City of Cheyenne Weed & Pest Division, “Filth Fly Control.” www.cheyennecity.org/Your-Government/Departments/Community-Recreation-Events/Weed-Pest-Vector-Control/Filth-Fly-Control (accessed 2026-10-06)
- City of Cheyenne Weed & Pest Division, “About Us.” www.weedandpest.org/about-us (accessed 2026-10-06)
- Wyoming Department of Health, “West Nile Virus.” health.wyo.gov/publichealth/infectious-disease-epidemiology-unit/disease/west-nile-virus/ (accessed 2026-10-06)
- Wyoming Department of Health, “Colorado Tick Fever.” health.wyo.gov/publichealth/infectious-disease-epidemiology-unit/disease/colorado-tick-fever/ (accessed 2026-10-06)
- Wyoming Department of Health, “Hantavirus.” health.wyo.gov/publichealth/infectious-disease-epidemiology-unit/disease/hantavirus/ (accessed 2026-10-06)
- University of Wyoming Extension (Barnyards & Backyards), “Termites? In Wyoming?.” www.uwyo.edu/barnbackyard/_files/documents/magazine/2020/summer/0720termites.pdf (accessed 2026-10-06)
- U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (FHA), “Termite Treatment Exception Areas.” www.hud.gov/sites/dfiles/SFH/documents/SFH_POLI_TERMITE.pdf (accessed 2026-10-06)
- Wyoming State Forestry Division / USDA Forest Service, “2022 Wyoming Forest Health Highlights.” fs.usda.gov/foresthealth/docs/fhh/WY_FHH_2022.pdf (accessed 2026-10-06)
- University of Wyoming Extension Entomology, “Mosquitoes and West Nile Virus in Wyoming.” www.uwyo.edu/entomology/mosquitoes/index.html (accessed 2026-10-06)
- Wyoming Department of Agriculture, “Pesticide Program.” agriculture.wy.gov/pesticide-program (accessed 2026-10-06)
- USDA ARS and PRISM, via phzmapi.org, “Plant hardiness zone for ZIP 82001 (2023 USDA map data).” phzmapi.org/82001.json (accessed 2026-10-06)
- National Pesticide Information Center, “State Pesticide Regulatory Agencies.” npic.orst.edu/reg/state_agencies.html (accessed 2026-10-06)