Introducing larval control for mosquito larvae alongside adult control for an Integrated Mosquito Management Program represents a more strategic, proactive expansion to your service offerings that improves the outcomes of adulticiding treatments, creates new service touchpoints, extends seasonal revenue, and helps your service offerings stand out as more comprehensive, integrated, and valuable.
Most pest management professionals build their mosquito control service offerings around adulticiding and barrier treatments: methods designed to target the flying, biting adult mosquitoes that customers often complain about and want controlled. However, without incorporating larviciding to address mosquito larvae at their source, these efforts often fall short. Mobile adult mosquitoes are notoriously difficult to control for extended periods, which can lead to recurring infestations, customer complaints, and reduced overall service satisfaction.
But here’s the thing: you don’t have to wait until they’re buzzing around customers’ backyards.
Read on to learn more about mosquito larval control for PMPs, best practices, and professional-grade larviciding products available.
According to the Joint Statement on Mosquito Control in the United States from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “…The greatest control impact on mosquito populations will occur when they are concentrated, immobile, and accessible.”
Unlike adult mosquitoes that can evade treatments and migrate into new locations from untreated ones, larvae are concentrated in specific breeding sites where they remain stationary throughout their development. During this immobile stage, they are also at their most vulnerable to control measures, making larvicides significantly more effective than treatments targeting dispersed adult populations.
Target mosquitoes when they are clustered, stationary, and susceptible rather than when they are scattered, mobile, and resilient.
While larviciding is an additional upfront cost for both providers and customers who opt into them, professional larviciding that targets standing water sites where mosquito breeding is occurring or expected significantly reduces adult mosquito treatment frequency and callbacks, lowering operational expenses while increasing client satisfaction.
Most mosquito species lay their eggs in standing water and can do so in as little water as contained in a bottle cap. In the case of floodwater mosquitoes, these species can lay their eggs in temporarily moistened soil from melting snow or rain, irrigation, and more. As the soil dries down, so do these eggs: these eggs then hatch when the soil is re-flooded.
Regardless, as these eggs hatch and larvae emerge, they remain in the same water sources. Therefore, mosquito larviciding treatments should be targeting standing water – including bird baths, ornamental ponds, overflow ponds, and rain barrels – as well as proactively treating areas that have the potential to become sources of standing water – think flowerpot saucers, bromeliads, gutters, drains, and run-off areas.
As you approach a residential or commercial property, you’ll want to start by cataloging these types of places – both active and potential mosquito breeding spots – and then applying larvicidal product to them according to the label instructions.
Mosquito larviciding starts sooner than adulticiding and barrier treatments and comprises two key factors: breeding timelines and weather patterns.
When it comes to breeding timing, the key is to treat these spots before permanent water mosquito breeding occurs, or floodwater mosquito eggs start to hatch. Keep your local climate in mind, as this will play a huge role in timing. In areas that are warm or tropical year-round, mosquito breeding can also happen year-round. In more temperate climates, mosquito breeding will typically start in the spring. Past mosquito activity in your treatment area and the types of habitats present also help determine the best timing for treatments.
Weather patterns matter too. Heavy rains can create new breeding sites, activate floodwater mosquito eggs, and flush out previously applied products. Beyond rain events, dry or drought conditions tend to concentrate mosquito breeding in the remaining water sources, making treatments more effective.
There are four main types of larvicides approved by the EPA for controlling mosquitoes.
Bacterial larvicides use natural bacteria like Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bti) that specifically target mosquito larvae. When larvae consume these bacteria, they simply get sick and die.
Growth regulators prevent larvae from developing into adults by disrupting the maturation process. Larvae treated with growth regulators might grow larger than normal but never develop wings or reproductive organs.
Spinosad© is derived from naturally occurring bacteria found in soil and works against all four larval instars. It affects their nervous system, causing paralysis and death. Natular® products contain this ingredient.
Larvicidal oils create a thin film on water surfaces that prevents mosquito larvae from breathing. The larvae need to come to the surface regularly to get oxygen. When oil covers the surface, they can’t break through and eventually suffocate.
Larvicides come in multiple forms designed for different situations and habitats: tablets or briquets, liquids, and granules. Each form has advantages depending on the type of water you’re treating and how accessible it is, and is typically applied by hand or backpack for commercial and residential accounts.
There is no one “right” formulation: instead, match the right product and application method to your specific situation. Natular© DT tablets allow applicators to simply drop an appropriate number of tablets into the targeted treatment area, depending on label instructions. These innovative bi-layer tablets contain QalcovaTM brand Spinosad and start working immediately in the water column. The top layer dissolves quickly to kill existing larvae, while the inner layer releases slowly to provide up to 60 days of ongoing control.
Natular© DT is formulated specifically for treating containerized water sources, such as ornamental fishponds, ornamental pools or fountains, old tires, flowerpots, water gardens, floor drains, roof gutters, and other water-holding receptacles. If dry down occurs, the tablet effectively reactivates when water is present again.
Natular© G30 is a granular formula that provides 30 days of reliable control in areas prone to flooding and drying down, reactivating when water levels fluctuate due to flooding or dry periods. It is OMRI Listed® for more sensitive backyards and residential environments.
Elevate your mosquito control service by targeting breeding sources with professional larvicides that prevent mosquito development at the source. Unlike reactive adult spraying alone, larvicides provide proactive control by eliminating mosquitoes during their vulnerable aquatic stage—before they can emerge as biting adults.
Customize your approach based on client budget, target mosquito species, resistance management, and specific habitat challenges.
Explore our range of Natular Larvicides for Pest Management Professionals’ residential accounts here.
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