Effective Mosquito Surveillance & Control To Prevent Spreading Disease
November 5th, 2015
There are over 3,500 species of mosquitoes in the world, many of which carry infectious diseases such as West Nile Virus. Simple steps can be taken to protect your employees, community residents, or your family from mosquito borne disease. Aside from the obvious health benefits, these steps can make for a more enjoyable community, common area, and backyard as well.
Although wide area mosquito control is often considered the responsibility of the city, county, or municipality in which you live, often times these programs are non-existent, or woefully inadequate. It is actually something that many large sites should consider handling internally. Homeowners associations, golf courses, outdoor recreational facilities, industrial sites, commercial properties, and larger private land owners can all use this type of program to effectively and efficiently control nuisance and disease carrying mosquitos on their properties.
There are multiple components to an effective wide area mosquito control program.
Surveillance
Conducting surveillance is critical to understanding the nature of your mosquito problem. Certain species breed in specific habitat; some carry disease; and some are more susceptible to control methods than others. In short, surveillance can help mosquito control technicians address the problem more effectively. SOLitude can now set a trap at your property, determine what species is most prevalent in your situation, and then recommend action accordingly. We can also test these mosquitoes for the presence of diseases such as West Nile Virus.
Larval Inspections/Treatments
The first step in an effective wide area mosquito control program is to walk your property on a regular schedule to determine where mosquitoes are breeding. Since mosquitoes can breed in a space as small as a bottle cap, it is important that these inspections be regular and frequent. When possible, the goal is to eliminate the potential breeding areas. If mosquito larvae are found, and breeding areas cannot be permanently eliminated, then applications of a biological control method (a naturally occurring soil bacteria) can be made directly to the breeding areas that prevents the larva from hatching into adults.
Adult Mosquito Treatments
Barrier Application: Inevitably, mosquitoes find a way to breed and become adults. As a result, targeting adult mosquitoes through a barrier application is necessary to reduce nuisance and the risk of disease transmission. Using a backpack, ATV-mounted, or truck-mounted sprayer, a technician will target mosquito resting places like shrubs and plants, which provide shade for the mosquito during the hot days. This barrier spray kills mosquitoes on contact and serves as a repellant for up to three weeks. These insecticides are derived from a naturally occurring compound called pyrethrum found in the chrysanthemum flower. Pyrethroids are used in numerous commercial products that consumers use to control insects such as household pest insecticides, pet shampoos and sprays, and even lice shampoos applied directly to the scalp. So, rest assured that our application is safe for your family.
Ultra Low Volume ULV Spraying: In addition to barrier applications which are residual treatments, it may also be necessary to perform ULV mosquito treatments. ULV spraying is a technique developed specifically for mosquito control that utilizes aerosol sprayers, designed and calibrated to produce droplets that fall within a specific size range, to apply extremely low quantities of pesticide within the control area. Reputable applicators will use only the most advanced hand-held, ATV-mounted, truck-mounted and aerial ULV application equipment. ULV spray covers a wide area in the treatment zone but it is only active for a short period of time. Since the treatment is only active for a short period of time, these treatments are timed to take place when mosquito populations are at their peak activity levels to maximize the effectiveness.
Education
Ultimately, one of the most effective tools in an effective wide area mosquito control program is the opportunity to educate the property and facility owners and managers on mosquito breeding areas on their sites. Although not all mosquito breeding can be eliminated, taking simple steps like emptying stagnant water from containers can greatly reduce the presence of breeding habitat. Often, deep, permanent water will not breed mosquitoes, but it is important to focus on stagnant puddles with organic matter, tidal marsh habitat, temporary flooding areas, and standing water in containers or structures.
Whether you are managing a residential association or a large industrial facility, mosquitoes can drastically impact a community or commercial enterprise. More importantly, they can pose a significant health risk as well. Why take the chance? SOLitude Lake Management has partnered with Vector Disease Control International (VDCI) to help our clients deal with these issues. VDCI is the choice of counties, large cities, states, and the federal government for their mosquito and vector control needs. VDCI brings this same world class, technologically advanced mosquito control service to commercial businesses, industrial facilities, homeowners’ associations, golf course, and private land owners.
Call us today to find out how we can help you design a plan to enhance the quality of life for your community or business.
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Since 1998, SOLitude Lake Management has been committed to providing full service lake and pond management services that improve water quality, preserve natural resources, and reduce our environmental footprint. Lake, pond and fisheries management services, consulting, and aquatic products are available nationwide. Learn more about SOLitude Lake Management and purchase products at www.solitudelakemanagement.com.