MOSQUITO
CONTROL ACTIVITIES
One basic
fact of the mosquito’s biology is the dependence on still, stagnant water to
complete it’s life cycle from egg to adult. Currently,
there are two basic control methods practiced by the Project to disrupt this
process. The first and most permanent method is called “water management, source reduction or wetlands restoration”. This
method reduces or eliminates the source of a potential mosquito problem, and
consists of cleaning road-side ditches and culverts, removal of brush and
accumulated debris from streams, and removal of containers which contain water.
All of the above mentioned methods serve to accomplish the same goal - they
permit water to flow freely, and reduce the likelihood for stagnant areas,
areas in which the mosquito needs to reproduce. Source reduction is practiced
year-round, and is done only after extensive examinations, and permission is
received by the property owner(s).
There are
places where water management is neither practical or
feasible for one reason or another. In these situations, we practice a method
called larviciding. After a field technician has determined that
larval mosquitoes are present, a small amount of environmentally sensitive
product is applied to the area according to label directions. This often a very effective control method, reducing the emergence
of the adult mosquito from that area. Larviciding is practiced from
late-March to September. Bti is the product of choice for larviciding in
wetlands.
A third
method is to attempt to control the adult mosquito. The control of adult
mosquitoes is done on a request only
basis, and the presence of adult mosquitoes is confirmed before any application
is done. Adulticiding can be an effective method of temporary control, which can be beneficial prior to public
gatherings, outdoor events and festivals, or when mosquito populations have
been determined to be intolerable. Since this part of the program is done only upon request, this allows the
individual resident to have the ultimate discretion on mosquito spraying in
their area - how much or how little. Exemptions for spraying are handled
through the City/Town Clerk and the Project office, and are updated each year.
Adulticiding is done from approximately Memorial Day to Labor Day, depending on
prevalent mosquito populations and the mosquito-borne disease situation.
All
products used by the Project have been extensively tested by manufacturers, the
We
operate a full surveillance program in our service area. The landing rates
performed by our field staff are brought back to the Project lab to be keyed
out to species, allowing us to tailor our larviciding program and reduce future
dependence on adulticides. We have a mobile teams of
specialized mosquito traps, called gravid
traps, designed to capture virus-bearing mosquitoes. These mosquito
samples, called pools, are sent into
the Mass. Dept. of Public Health (MDPH) laboratory in
Jamaica Plain for testing of West Nile Virus, Eastern Equine Encephalitis, and
other arboviruses of concern by MDPH. These traps are
used in a rotation throughout our service area, and are then concentrated in
areas showing arboviral activity to supplement MDPH’s collection protocols.
Additional trap types are utilized in suspect areas to monitor and evaluate the
risk of viral transmission to the local populace.
A comprehensive educational program is offered to area
schools and civic groups. The program is aimed towards mosquito biology,
mosquito habitat, and efforts citizens can undertake to reduce the potential
for mosquito populations in their own neighborhood. This program is tailored to
suit the requirements of the individual group, from elementary school children,
to high school, to adult groups. Last year alone we reached well over 1,000
students in our service area.
PROGRAM EVALUATION
This is a
part of the program which many people involved directly never see. It must begin with a carefully planned
program, one designed so that the data obtained during surveys before treatment
and the surveys taken after treatment, can be analyzed by statistically sound
methods. Only by doing this can the
value of a mosquito control program be determined. We will then know what type (species) of
mosquito we are dealing with; what the population density is; what method(s) of
control provide the most economical and efficient results. Then and only then can we say that we have or
have not affected mosquito control on a level that is acceptable to the
community.
SEASONAL
OUTLINE OF MOSQUITO CONTROL PROGRAM
1. Vehicle and
equipment repair and storage - November through March
2. Water
Management - throughout the year
3. Program
Preparation - December, January, February and March
4. Map
compilation and training - throughout the year
5. Larviciding -
May through September
6. Adulticiding
- June through September
7. Catch Basin
Treatment - June through September
Any mosquito control being done by individual member
communities must, by law, be coordinated through the Central Massachusetts
Mosquito Control Project.