Our Integrated Mosquito Management Program

Franklin County Mosquito Control District employs a systematic method of control for mosquitoes. This method is Integrated Mosquito Management and its components are as follows:

SURVEILLANCE/MONITORING:

The District’s mosquito surveillance and monitoring activities perform the following functions:

• Locate mosquito-breeding areas.
• Identify mosquito species present.
• Determine if mosquito-borne disease is present.
• Helps the staff to access mosquito population numbers and their flight activities.
• Helps determine how effective our mosquito control activities are.

SOURCE REDUCTION:

The District identifies and initiates activities to reduce the amount of mosquito breeding habitats when feasible and within governing regulations. These activities include draining areas of shallow stagnate water, increase flow rates in irrigation and drainage canals, elimination of water holding containers and the reduction and/or elimination of vegetation/trash in slack/stagnant water which support mosquito breeding areas. Most of these activities can be achieved through cooperative agreements with property owners, other government/private agencies, political subdivisions and through public education.

PREVENTION (LARVICIDE): 

Prevention activities are the primary method we employ to kill immature non-flying and non-biting mosquitoes in their water habitats and to reduce or modify mosquito-breeding habitats.  Mosquito Larvicide applications are given top priority since this type of control is more selective and effective in reducing mosquito populations.  This type of mosquito control measure requires considerable personnel, equipment, materials, planning, mosquito survaliance work and expense.  However, these types of applications offer the best long-term control for mosquitoes.

Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bti), Bacillus sphaericus (Bs) are used for mosquito larvicide’s and applied to mosquito breeding areas when mosquito larvae are found in the 1st to 3rd instar life stages.  Methoprene (IGR) is used for mosquito larvicide and applied to mosquito breeding areas when mosquito larvae are found in the 1st to 4th instar life stages and Golden Bear Larvacide (GB1111) is used for mosquito larvicide and pupacide and applied to mosquito breeding areas when mosquito larvae/pupa are found in any life stage.

INTERVENTION (ADULTICIDING):

Mosquitoes, in the adult stage of life, present a danger of mosquito-borne disease transmission and economic/nuisance problems.  Flying adult mosquito populations need to be reduced quickly.  Our intervention activities employ the spraying of an ultra low volume of insecticide into the air to kill adult mosquitoes in flight.  All adult mosquitoes do fly and will travel from one to twenty miles from their original breeding areas searching for food and a (blood meal) host

The current mosquito insecticide used in ultra low volume (ULV) applications by the District is Biomist 4-4 ULV (Permethrin) concentrate a non-residual insecticide with excellent efficacy against flying mosquitoes.  Applications of Biomist will be completed to reduce mosquito populations for county resident’s health protection and the reduction of biting mosquito pests.

All ULV applications are announced publicly at the beginning of the mosquito season (May).  The FCMCD has established a “Call Before Spraying List” for those residents of FCMCD who wish to be called prior to ULV spraying in the areas in which they live.

All ULV applications are restricted to the FCMCD jurisdiction and all treatments are applied according to the insecticide’s label directions (under FIFRA law). All treatment equipment is calibrated as per the insecticide label directions and are certified yearly as operationally correct.