Larval Mosquito Control

Larvicides are natural agents or commercial products designed to control mosquito larvae and pupae. Larviciding is a general term for the process of killing mosquito larvae by applying larvicides to aquatic habitats. Larvicide treatments can be applied from ether the ground or air. Application area/sites and rates are depended on each product's label and directions. Larvicides are categorized by their modes of entry/action on target organisms: contact pesticides (affecting the nervous system or endocrine system), surface control agents (oil products that prevent the larvae from attaching to the surface tension of water), stomach toxins (Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis, Bacillus sphaericus) and natural agents.

Natural agents are comprised of biological organisms and are termed biological control or biocontrol. Biocontrol includes the introduction of mosquito predators into the breeding habitat. Predators include fish (Gambusia spp. and others), certain mosquito species (Toxorhynchites spp.), aquatic invertebrates (dragonflies, damselflies, giant water bugs, etc.), and frogs. Other natural agents include pathogens like protozoan (Nosema algerae) and parasites like nematodes.

Currently, AMCD uses larvicides such as GB-1111 (oil), Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (BTI), and Methoprene (Altosid) to control mosquito larvae by ground application if source reduction and other physical methods cannot be applied.

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SKEETER EATERS (Aquatic invertebrates that act as natural biological control agents being predacious on mosquito larval populations)