By Chris Keefer, Technical Services Manager, Professional Pest Management, Syngenta
As we move into the spring season, mosquitoes will become active and start threatening customers’ peace-of-mind. Well-maintained properties, proper inspections, identification of the target pest and reduction of conducive conditions are all key to preventing mosquitoes in urban environments.
Before taking any management steps, review the best practices below to help ensure successful control of container-breeding mosquitoes, such as Aedes albopictus and Aedes aegypti: - Complete a pre-treatment inspection of the property
- Use a larvicide in standing water that may contain mosquito larvae
- Use proper personal protective equipment, including but not limited to a long-sleeved shirt and long pants
- Educate customers about how they can help reduce mosquito breeding sites on their properties
Once the mosquitoes are identified, the combination of an adulticide and an insect growth regulator (IGR) is recommended for long-term control. An effective adulticide should be non-phytotoxic, rainfast (to ensure the treatment stays in the target zone) and easily mixable with other products. Demand® CS insecticide features these benefits, plus the power of iCAP™ technology, which releases microcaps of multiple sizes for both immediate and residual mosquito control.
An IGR can complement an adulticide by helping suppress mosquito populations. Archer® IGR interferes with the development process of mosquito larvae, as well as addresses the skip oviposition behavior of Aedes mosquitoes (laying eggs in multiple locations). A female mosquito ovipositing her eggs can move the IGR she has contacted to each of her cryptic oviposition sites. The IGR will then reduce subsequent populations of mosquitoes by decreasing egg abundance, egg hatch rate and adult emergence.
For more information about IGRs and mosquitoes, watch the following video from East Carolina University:
To help give you a competitive advantage in the mosquito market, Syngenta offers the SecureChoice℠ Mosquito Assurance Program. It features the combination of Demand CS and Archer, which can provide a significant reduction of mosquito populations for up to 60 days. Application recommendations have also been comprehensively tested by technical experts, so you can feel confident offering this service to your customers.
As a pest management professional, you are the first line of defense against mosquitoes. Ensure you have the right knowledge and equipment to keep mosquito populations in check on your customers’ properties. For more information, visit www.SyngentaPMP.com/Mosquito or contact your local Syngenta territory manager.
References:
B. D. Chism and C.S. Apperson 2003. Horizontal transfer of the insect growth regulator pyriproxyfen to larval microcosms by gravid Aedes albopictus and Ochlerotatus triseriatus mosquitoes in the laboratory. Medical and Veterinary Entomology Vol. 17 Iss. 2, p. 211-220.
T. Itoh et al. 1994. Utilitzation of blood fed females of Aedes aegypti as a vehicle for the transfer of the insect growth regulator pyriproxyfen to larval habitats. Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association, 10 3:344-347.
Lloyd et al. 2017. Evaluation of Pyriproxyfen Dissemination via Aedes albopictus From a Point-Source Larvicide Application in Northeast Florida. Journal of American Mosquito Control Association 33(2):151-155.
M. Sihuincha et al. 2005. Potential Use of Pyriproxyfen for Control of Ae. aegypti. Journal of Medical Entomology, 42(4):620-630.
Pest Control Technology. October 2017. Mosquito Control: A Smart Add-On.
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