Using Residual Larvicides for Early Season Suppression During COVID-19

Control programs often turn to larvicides to get ahead of early season population spikes. And according to the NOAA, spring will be early this year, making conditions ideal for mosquito breeding.

Routinely hitting known breeding sites with single-brood larvicides is typically the control method of choice for early season population suppression. Temporary water sources are common in the spring, and when you time applications right, single-brood larvicides can do an excellent job at managing synchronous brood hatch offs. But under COVID-19 operating conditions, programs are short on staff, trying to limiting coworker exposure and generally looking for ways to be more efficient. And so, some customers are considering a switch to residual larvicides this spring.

Here's why residual larvicides might make sense for mosquito control programs during COVID-19:

1. Less labor: Fewer overall applications required.
   
2. Lasts longer: Residual products will control multiple broods of mosquito larvae, and usually deliver at least 30 days of control.
   
3. More flexible: Treatment sites don’t need to be actively breeding. Residual products will activate when the site gets wet, and in some cases, can even reactivate after a dry down.
   
4. Comparable overall cost: One residual product treatment is comparable to the product cost of 3 or 4 single brood applications in one month.
   

Larvicides by air during COVID-19

Mosquito control programs are reporting larvicide applications by air may make sense to them this season. Compared to ground treatments, aerial applications would allow them to:

• Maintain applications and control with less labor.
  
• Quickly cover a lot of acreage.
  
• Limit coworker exposure opportunities.
  

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