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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Gainesville, Florida » Center for Medical, Agricultural and Veterinary Entomology » Mosquito and Fly Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #226294
Title: Residual efficacy of field applied permethrin, sumithrin, and resmethrin on plant foliage against adult mosquitoes

Author
item AMOO, A. O. J. - ANASTASIA MOSQUITO CONTRO
item XUE, RUI-DE - ANASTASIA MOSQUITO CONTRO
item QUALLS, W - ANASTASIA MOSQUITO CONTRO
item Quinn, Brian
item Bernier, Ulrich

Submitted to: Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/25/2008
Publication Date: 12/24/2008
Citation: Amoo, A.O.J., Xue, R.-D., Qualls, W.A., Quinn, B.P., Bernier, U.R. 2008. Residual efficacy of field-applied permethrin, d-phenothrin, and resmethrin on plant foliage against adult mosquitoes. Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association. 24(4):543-549.

Interpretive Summary: Scientists from the Anastasia Mosquito Control District in St. Augustine, Florida and the USDA-ARS Center for Medical, Agricultural, and Veterinary Entomology in Gainesville, FL have explored the lifetime of common insecticides used as a “barrier treatment” to protect an area from adult mosquitoes. The experiments were conducted by using a backpack sprayer to spray three different insecticides, permethrin, resmethrin, and d-phenothrin onto the plants and vegetation of two different sites. The sites were monitored for mosquito populations for the next 3 weeks and samples of leaves were brought back to the laboratory for further testing. Scientists tested the leaves with adult mosquitoes to see if the leaves contained enough insecticide to still kill them and measure the concentration of insecticides in these leaves by chemical analysis. The results of this work indicate the expected duration that these insecticides can kill mosquitoes when they are used as a barrier treatment. The results of this work are of importance to mosquito control and abatement professionals and the U.S. military concerned with protecting civilians and deployed personnel from mosquito-borne illnesses at home and on foreign soil.

Technical Abstract: Backpack sprayer applications of 3 pyrethroid insecticides, permethrin, d-phenothrin, and resmethrin to vegetation and plants at Anastasia Island, St. Augustine, Florida were evaluated for duration of residual efficacy against adult mosquitoes. All sprays produced 100% mortality (24 h) for mosquitoes in test cages placed within the vegetation. At 48 h and 1 wk post-treatment, insecticide treatments resulted in 70-100% reduction of adult mosquitoes caught by 1-octen-3-ol baited CDC traps. Insecticide residues in excised leaves from both treated and control areas of the study sites were evaluated against adult female mosquitoes (Culex quinquefasciatus Say) by laboratory bioassay. Permethrin produced 90% mortality up to 1 wk post application. Both d-phenothrin and resmethrin produced nearly this level of mortality for a much shorter duration of < 48 h post application, with residual effects dropping significantly thereafter. Average insecticide concentrations in leaves were quantified by GC/MS and some correlation was observed between chemical and biological results.