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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 #293173
Title: Sand fly control in Kenya with residual pesticide application on HESCO barriers

Author
item Gibson, Seth
item Linthicum, Kenneth - Ken
item Aldridge, Robert
item WALKER, TODD - Department Of Defense
item FAROOQ, MUHAMMAD - Department Of Defense
item LOGAN, THOMAS - United States Army Medical Research Unit
item BAST, JOSHUA - United States Army Medical Research Unit
item WANJA, ELIZABETH - United States Army Medical Research Unit
item OPONDO, VITALICE - United States Army Medical Research Unit
item N'GONGA, DANIEL - United States Army Medical Research Unit
item CHEPCHIENG, CLIFF - United States Army Medical Research Unit

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/22/2013
Publication Date: 2/24/2013
Citation: Britch, S.C., Linthicum, K., Aldridge, R.L., Walker, T., Farooq, M., Logan, T.M., Bast, J.D., Wanja, E., Opondo, V., N'Gonga, D., Chepchieng, C.K. 2013. Sand fly control in Kenya with residual pesticide application on HESCO barriers. Abstract for the American Mosquito Control Association Meeting in Atlantic City, NJ on February 24 - 28, 2013. pg.35.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: US military operations in hot-arid regions still face significant impacts from mosquito and sand fly vectors of diseases. Personal protective measures (PPM) such as DEET or treated bed nets and clothing can reduce contact with disease vectors and nuisance insects; however, irregular use of PPM coupled with widespread substandard sanitation in operational environments result in routine exposure to insect threats. We investigated a technique using standard-issue military pest management spray equipment and pesticide formulation to reduce insect threat loads in a hot-arid region regardless of PPM. HESCO blast wall barriers are ubiquitous in current US military theaters of operation in Afghanistan and the Arabian Peninsula. HESCO units are constructed of a rugged cloth-like material on which we hypothesized a residual pesticide treatment would be effective and long-lasting. We applied an aqueous solution of '-cyhalothrin at the label rate using a backpack mist blower to small, enclosed structures made of HESCO units in a hot-arid region in western Kenya targeting local abundant populations of Phlebotomus sand fly vectors of Leishmania. Periodic samples cut from the treated material were shown to cause high mortality for at least 3 months against mosquitoes in laboratory bioassays, and the treatment also significantly reduced wild sand fly densities in traps placed inside the units in the field for at least 5 months post-treatment.