Mosquito Control

MOSQUITO CONTROL PROGRAM – 2010

The mosquito control program for 2010 began with spring larviciding in April and will continue into early September. Work may continue late into September if necessary.

The program consists of larviciding (control of immature stages of the mosquito), public education about the Asian tiger mosquito, and adult surveillance with possible spraying.

LARVICIDING – Larviciding, proven the most effective treatment, means treating the immature stages (eggs, larvae or pupae) of the mosquitoes in the stagnant water where they occur. Known breeding areas in your community will be checked approximately every 3 weeks for the presence of larvae and will be treated if necessary. Three different products are used for larviciding.

Bti granules - This is a granular formulation of a bacterium, Bacillus thurinziensis (var israelensis). These bacteria produce a substance toxic to mosquito and black fly larvae but not harmful to other organisms. The material is not persistent in the environment; the bacteria do not reproduce and multiply so the effect of the bacteria is very temporary.
Bacillius sphaericus granules – These bacteria also produce a substance toxic to mosquito larvae. Under certain conditions, they can recycle in the breeding area for up to 30 days.
Methoprene briquet, pellet, and granule - This substance is an insect growth regulator, causing incomplete development within the immature stages. The mosquito dies before becoming a biting adult. The briquet and pellet formulations last up to 30 days, slowly releasing the active ingredient into the breeding area. The granule lasts for several weeks.

ADULTICIDING – Someone from the evening adulticiding crew will visit your community approximately every 3 weeks if we have received complaints about mosquito problems. Our crew member will either place a portable light trap overnight or do a landing count in complaint areas. If the number of female mosquitoes does not exceed our action threshold (3 female mosquitos in a 2 minute count, 12 female mosquitos per night in an unbaited light trap or 24 female mosquitos per night in a baited light trap), spraying will not be done. The reason for this surveillance is that the permethrin we use for adult control is a contact insecticide; it must contact the mosquito to kill it. Our spray shift will run in the late evening to try to coincide with the time of peak mosquito activity. Your development will be scheduled for a specific weeknight. If the sprayer operator encounters too many people outside in the spray area, spraying will not be done. Adulticiding will begin weekly the end of June and will continue until the end of September. Permethrin is the one product we will be using for adulticiding.

Please do not to stand around outside in your neighborhood while the spray trucks are coming through your areas. We have a pesticide sensitive list from the State of Maryland and will not spray within 300ft of the objectors. If the City of Bowie feels that there is a public health problem, we can override the exemptions.

Residents who have an objection with their neighborhood being sprayed need to send a letter complete with their name, address, and contact number to:

Maryland Department of Agriculture
Mosquito Control Section
8071 Greenmead Drive
College Park, MD 20740

The adult mosquito surveillance/spraying if necessary schedule is as follows:

Tuesdays 9 p.m. - 4 a.m.

Belair Greens	Hillmeade Station Add	Race Track Rd TH
Bowie Forest	Huntington	Rockledge
Bowie Station	Huntington Crest	Rolling Hills
Buckingham	Idlewild	Saddlebrook
Chapel Forge	Kenilworth	Saddlebrook West
Derbyshire	Long Ridge	Somerset
Fairview	Meadowbrook	Stewarts Landing
Fletchertown Rd	Meadowbrook TH	Sumner Chase
Foxhill	Northridge	Tulip Grove
Forest Dr.	Old Chapel Estates	Victoria Heights
Glenridge	Old Stage	Westview
Grady’s Walk	Overbrook	Whitehall
Highbridge Park	Princeton Square	Yorktown

Wednesdays 9 p.m. - 4 a.m.

Amber Meadows	Glen Allen	Oaktree
Ashleigh	Greystone	Palisades
Bowie Commons	Grovehurst	Pointer Ridge North
Collington Manor	Heather Hills	Pointer Ridge South
Collington Station	Lake Village Manor	Ridgeview TH
Covington	Longleaf	Tall Oaks
Devonshire	Mitchellville Rd TH	Ternberry
Enfield Chase	Mitchellville East	Vistas
Ensleigh	Northview	Woodmore Estates
Essington	Oak Pond	Woodmore Highlands
Evergreen Estates

Since the Asian tiger mosquito has become a major problem in this area, we are trying to distribute information about this mosquito in an effort to reduce backyard breeding of this annoying mosquito pest. Mosquitoes can breed in any water‑holding container including bird baths, wading pools, pet watering dishes, tin cans, old tires, clogged gutters or flower pots. To prevent mosquito breeding in these areas, water should be changed weekly in bird baths, wading pools and pet dishes, gutters should be cleaned at least twice a year, and other water‑holding containers should be disposed of or stored upside down.

If you choose to spray your yard for the Asian Tiger Mosquito, you need to purchase the correct pesticide from a hardware store or a professional pest control agency. Make sure that what you choose is labeled for the treatment of mosquitoes. There are many different brand names that will work. Some of the active ingredients to look for on the label which work well against Asian Tigers are Resmethrin, Permethrin, and Pyrethrin, - these are just suggestions, there are others that will work. Adult Asian Tigers spend most of the time resting in bushes, ivy, tall grass, under decks, and in other shady, sheltered areas. Concentrate treatment in these areas. Although they are active all day, Asian Tigers seem to be most active around dusk. Therefore, this is the best time to treat.

If you need assistance locating breeding areas around your house, or would like to report stagnant water near your property call the Public Works Office at (301) 809‑2336 or email at csullivan@cityofbowie.org.

Maryland Department of Agriculture Mosquito Control Office (301) 422-5080
www.mda.state.md.us

Mosquito Control Begins At Home

The tiger mosquito is a very aggressive day-biting mosquito, which has become a serious pest in parts of Maryland. The City’s mosquito control program cannot adequately control this species due to its habits. It breeds in containers in peoples’ yards which we cannot treat, and nighttime spray operations are not very effective for the tiger mosquito because it rests in sheltered areas which the spray will not reach.

Reduce mosquito annoyance in your backyard and in your neighborhood by eliminating sites around the outside of the house that serve as a habitat for mosquito larvae. All mosquito larvae need standing water to develop. As little as one-half inch of water in a discarded can or container will support dozens of mosquitoes.

Did you know that:
•    Mosquitoes can breed in as little as a tablespoon of standing water.
•    The flight range for tiger mosquitoes is only 100 yards.
•    The tiger mosquito is very small with white stripes.
•    Adult mosquitoes only live for 1-2 weeks.
•    It takes no longer than two weeks for mosquito eggs to become adults.
•    The only way to successfully beat the tiger mosquito is to eliminate breeding sites in your yard.

Places in YOUR yard that could be breeding the tiger mosquito:
•           Clogged gutters
•           Tire casings
•           Birdbaths
•           Canoes or boats (stored right-side up)
•           Tarps over log piles, equipment, etc.
•           Kiddie pools
•           Wheelbarrows or watering cans
•           Buckets, cans or bottles
•           Trash cans without lids (or lids themselves, if upside down)
•           Pet water dishes

Keep grass short and brush cut back to limit areas where adult mosquitoes can rest. Stock ornamental ponds with fish that will eat mosquito larvae. For more information or to report a mosquito problem, please call 301-809-2336 or email csullivan@cityofbowie.org.

View "Mosquitoes 101" a publication of the Maryland Department of Agriculture.