Treatment Products
Lee County Mosquito Control District utilizes a variety of products to control mosquitoes in the varying stages of their lifecycle. These applications are made using both aircraft and ground-based equipment.
All equipment utilizes the most advanced technologies available to ensure precise and consistent applications, every time. All products are thoroughly evaluated for human health risk and ecological risk before approved for use by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Applications are conducted in strict accordance with the products label and best management practices.
Surveillance is the backbone of LCMCD’s operation. Prior to any treatment LCMCD personnel conduct surveillance to evaluate the mosquito population and see if treatment is warranted. LCMCD conducts a wide array of surveillance activities to include adult landing rate counts, larval dip counts, mosquito trap collections, among other methods. These methods work together to inform LCMCD personnel of the level of infestation so the appropriate method of control can be implemented.
Larviciding is the method used to control mosquitoes before they become biting adults. Juvenile mosquitoes, called larvae, can be found in standing water such as bird baths, ditches, and marshes. Targeting larval mosquitoes is typically the most cost effective, and selective approach, as treatments are conducted when the mosquitoes are most concentrated. Dedicated LCMCD personnel are constantly surveying standing water across the county on a year-round basis. When larvae are present, applications are conducted with the use of trucks, helicopter, and hand equipment during the daytime hours. LCMCD also utilizes a truck-based sprayer in the evening hours, between sunset and 2am, to control larval mosquitoes in urban areas. These applications target potential disease vectoring species, like Aedes aegypti, which can be found in containers around residential properties.
Adulticiding is the method used to control flying adult mosquitoes. Adulticiding treatments are conducted when surveillance data indicates the mosquito population has increased to unacceptable levels. When treatments are warranted, LCMCD may utilize trucks, helicopters, or airplanes to control the adult mosquitoes. Determination to use a truck, helicopter, or airplane is typically determined by how widescale the mosquito problem is located. All treatments are conducted using Ultra-Low Volume (ULV) techniques which involve applying a small amount of product over a large area. For ULV applications, treatments are typically conducted using less than one ounce of product per acre of land. For reference, this can be visualized as a shot glass of product sprayed across a football field. To accomplish this, application equipment is adjected to dispense droplets less than 100 microns in size, or the width of a human hair. All adulticiding treatments are conducted in the evening hours, between sunset and 2am, when mosquitoes are most active.
For more information on the EPA approved products, or our methods of application, please contact us at 239-694-2174.