MOSQUITOES AREN’T A BARREL OF FUN: EFFICACY OF MOSQUITO LARVAE CONTROL METHODS IN RAIN BARRELS
Natural Resources/Aquaculture
Steven Yergeau
Environmental and Resource Management Agent
Rutgers University Cooperative Extension
Toms River
Abstract
Rain barrels are an excellent way for homeowners to conserve water. A concern that many homeowners have is the potential of rain barrels to increase mosquito breeding habitats. Extension provides information on practices to reduce the potential for mosquitoes to breed in rain barrels. Examples of methods to deter mosquito breeding in rain barrels include screening of the barrel openings, using Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bti) larvicides (“mosquito dunks”), and creating a surface barrier of oil or soap. The relative success of these practices, however, has not been studied, so this project was developed to evaluate the effectiveness of Extension-recommended mosquito control methods appropriate for rain barrels. Five-gallon buckets were filled with one gallon of water and had one of the practices applied to them. The buckets were then left out for up to three weeks to ensure mosquito egg deposition and larvae hatching. Filtered water samples were analyzed by the Ocean County Mosquito Extermination Commission for mosquitoes (larvae and adults) which included identification and counting each species for each practice. A total of ten trials were conducted during 2021 and 2022 for a total of 113 samples collected during this study. A total of 1,340 mosquito larvae were collected in the buckets, with 1,333 from the control buckets (no treatment practice) and the remaining seven larvae from the other practices. This means that any of the treatment options is beneficial to reducing mosquito breeding habitat with better than 99% efficiency. There were some practical issues that need to be addressed when choosing which option is best for homeowners. Since many homeowners may be reluctant to use rain barrels because of the potential for increasing mosquito populations, having science-based information on how to effectively control mosquitoes allows for wider adoption of rain barrels as a practice and more water being conserved for the future.
Authors: Steven Yergeau, Michael Senyk, Jessica Keen
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Steven Yergeau Environmental and Resource Management Agent, Rutgers University Cooperative Extension, New Jersey, 08755-1199
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Michael Senyk Superintendent, Ocean County Mosquito Commission, New Jersey, 08005
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Jessica Keen Identification Specialist, Ocean County Mosquito Commission, New Jersey, 08005