It's Time to Start Planning for Mosquito Control

 

By Dr. Nicky Gallagher, Technical Services Manager, Syngenta Professional Pest Management

Spring rain can create desirable habitats for mosquitoes in areas such as flood plains and vernal pools. If you currently offer residential or commercial mosquito treatments or are considering entering the market, here are a few tips to prepare for a successful season:

• Check regulations and certifications: Familiarize yourself on your state and local regulations regarding mosquito control. To apply mosquito treatments legally, determine if an additional certification is required for your state. Understand your role in conjunction with other municipal control efforts, such as larvacidal treatments.
• Use proper equipment: The equipment you use to apply mosquito control products can be just as important as the product you select. Mist blowers are typically used for mosquito control, as they provide adequate coverage to vegetation. Proper equipment maintenance, such as cleaning and calibration, will ensure accurate product applications.
• Reduce mosquito breeding sites: Ideal places for mosquitoes to reproduce can include, but are not limited to, ditches, plant pots, gutters and fish ponds. Some of these areas can be treated with larvicides or insect growth regulators (IGRs). More importantly, however, will be a customer’s willingness to collaborate to reduce these breeding sites. They can contribute to the mosquito control effort by changing the water in bird baths and wading pools at least once a week, aerating ornamental ponds or pools and filling or draining swampy areas.
• Make appropriate treatments: You can use an insecticide for mosquito control by treating vegetation, such as trees, bushes and shrubbery, from ground level up. Be sure to treat the underside of leaves, foliage and brush. Identify and treat other areas typically used as mosquito resting sites, including under decks and near drainage spouts.

The SecureChoice^™ Mosquito Assurance Program from Syngenta can provide your customers a significant reduction in mosquito populations for up to 60 days. The program protocol recommends the use of the Demand^® CS insecticide + Archer^® IGR Multipak, which contains two quarts of Demand CS and five pints of Archer. Demand CS features a microencapsulated formulation that delivers more than 10,000 microcaps per square inch of coverage. To complement Demand CS, Archer interrupts the life cycle of mosquitoes, causing them to lay non-viable eggs and preventing larvae from developing into adults.

• Manage customer expectations: Mosquito control is about managing mosquito populations and reducing the chances of being bitten, not ensuring complete mosquito elimination. Determine if you can meet the expectations of your customers and avoid any claims of complete mosquito control or disease prevention claims. If your customer is signing a contract, review the agreement to be sure it clearly states the objectives of the treatment and what responsibilities and obligations the homeowner has.

Be prepared for mosquitoes this season with the right information and appropriate tools you need. For more information, visit www.SyngentaPMP.com/Mosquito or contact your local Syngenta territory manager.

 

 

 

©2016 Syngenta. Important: Always read and follow label instructions. Some products may not be registered for sale or use in all states or counties. Please check with your local extension service to ensure registration status. Archer^®, Demand^®, For Life Uninterrupted^™, SecureChoice^™ and the Syngenta logo are trademarks of a Syngenta Group Company. Syngenta Customer Center: 1-866-SYNGENT(A) (796-4368).