What are current mosquito control methods?
There are two basic types of control methods to reduce the number of mosquitoes. The first is called “Adulticiding.” This is where the adult mosquitoes are targeted by means of chemical controls. Typical spray applications include low volume chemical fogging and aerial spraying. These types of sprays are usually designed to kill adult mosquitoes that are flying in and around trees, bushes, and the upper portions of buildings. In Calaveras County, a form of Pyrethrin called Pyrenone is used in the fogging machines. The second method of control is known as “Larviciding.” This is where the larvae stage of the mosquito life cycle are the targeted for control. Larvicides are chemicals usually in the form of Mosquito Dunks®, briquettes, granules, and sprays. The most commonly used larvicides are biological control agents which are the dead spores of varieties of the natural soil bacteria Bacillus thuringiensis, especially Bt israelensis (BTI) or Bacillus thuringiensis(Bs.). These organisms a
