As far as mosquitoes are concerned, Bismarck is a Fifedom.

That is, the city follows the Barney Fife theory of bud-nipping - being proactive in its approach to handling mosquitoes.

Although mosquito populations are beginning to increase dramatically across the state, a combination of applying larvacide and having less standing water have kept numbers here lower than in other major North Dakota cities. Mel Fischer, administrator of the city's Environmental Health division, said Bismarck applies a granular larvacide to known mosquito breeding areas in addition to spraying the adult critters.

Last week's mosquito trap counts - the most current available - showed Bismarck had a total of 828 mosquitoes at its two trap locations. Mandan had 916 at its two spots.

Meanwhile, Fargo trappers counted nearly 10,000 mosquitoes at their two traps. Farther up the Red River, Wahpeton had 5,540 at its traps. Across the state, one trap in Williston registered almost 3,000 mosquitoes.

The trap counts were tallied by the state health department's division of microbiology.

There is more standing water - meaning extra breeding grounds - in the Red River Valley and northern parts of the state than in Bismarck. But the larvacide and spraying have certainly helped keep numbers down, Fischer said.

"The best time to get them is when they're in the larval stage," he said. "We've been doing that since about late April."

Fischer said the larvacide, which includes a residual growth-inhibitor, is applied to areas particularly conducive to larval hatching. Some of those areas include Cottonwood Lake, the waste-water treatment ponds, ditches along Old Highway 10 and the Jackman coulee.

Additionally, spraying is done on the city's golf courses and parks and before major events, such as the Fourth of July Spectacular at the Capitol grounds and the McQuade softball tournament.

Spraying is performed weekly, with funding provided by the city, Fischer said. The city began the program three years ago, when there was a major increase in the number of cases of West Nile virus. The species of mosquito known to carry the virus, culex tarsalis, has begun to increase in numbers in the last week, according to the trap counts. But no cases of West Nile have been reported in humans or birds this year. One horse tested positive for the virus in Burleigh County in May.

Mosquito populations in other North Dakota cities:

3 Jamestown - 3,740.

3 Minot - 1,740.

3 Valley City - 1,671.

3 Grand Forks - 916.

3 Dickinson - 151.