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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 #240862
Title: Efficacy of Barrier Treatments on Natural Populations of Mosquitoes in Desert Habitats of California

Author
item Linthicum, Kenneth - Ken
item Gibson, Seth
item WALKER, TODD - Us Navy
item LOTHROP, BRANKA - Coachella Valley Mosquito And Vector Control District
item SNELLING, MELISSA - Coachella Valley Mosquito And Vector Control District
item GUTIERREZ, ARTURO - Coachella Valley Mosquito And Vector Control District
item FAROOQ, MUHAMMAD - Us Navy
item SMITH, VINCENT - Us Navy
item ROBINSON, CATHY - Us Navy
item LOTHROP, HUGH - University Of California
item Wynn, Willard
item DUNFORD, JAMES - Us Navy

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/5/2009
Publication Date: 4/5/2009
Citation: Linthicum, K., Britch, S.C., Walker, T.W., Lothrop, B.B., Snelling, M., Gutierrez, A., Farooq, M., Smith, V.L., Robinson, C.A., Lothrop, H.D., Wynn, W.W., Dunford, J. 2009. Efficacy of Barrier Treatments on Natural Populations of Mosquitoes in Desert Habitats of California. Presented at the American Mosquito Control Association 2009 Annual Meeting in New Orleans, LA on April 5-9, 2009.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Treating perimeters with residual insecticides to provide protection from mosquito vectors has shown promise. These barrier treatments are typically evaluated in temperate or tropical areas using lush, ambient vegetation as a substrate for the pesticide. However, there is an emerging interest to develop this technology to protect deployed US troops in extreme desert environments with sparse or no vegetation. We used large remote desert areas in the Coachella Valley, CA, to evaluate bifenthrin barrier treatments under field conditions of heat, dust, and low humidity on plots of (1) native xeric vegetation using 2 spray technologies, an electrostatic and a back-pack sprayer, and (2) on artificial barriers formed by Department of Defense camouflage screening using a back-pack sprayer. We found that mosquito collections of naturally occurring populations in treated plots was significantly lower than the catch in control plots for multiple weeks after treatment. This reduction in mosquito numbers in treated plots declined at a predictable rate each week after treatment. These field data were corroborated by results from bioassays in the lab which showed significantly higher mosquito mortality on treated materials as compared to untreated vegetation for multiple weeks post-spray.