The majority of the pesticides used are products to control mosquito larvae in the water. What pesticides are used to control mosquitoes in Mercer County? Tire removal has also been incorporated to eliminate another potential mosquito habitat. ![]() Although most water management activities are conducted during the winter in preparation for the approaching season, management is also undertaken as needed during the summer season. This can range from removing logjams and blocks from a waterway, cleaning of detention basins to ensure proper drainage, stream clearance, and environmentally-friendly beaver management. MCMC has adopted strategies, in accordance with New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s Best Management Practices (BMP), to reduce mosquito-breeding habitat by physically managing water flow. The agency also conducts year round water management and source reduction projects that eliminate standing water. In addition to Gambusia, the program also offers other species of fish for mosquito control, including the fathead minnow and two species of sunfish ( Bluegill Sunfish and Pumpkin Seed Sunfish). The state of New Jersey has established a statewide mosquito fish program that uses resources from the Division of Fish and Game to provide mosquito fish, Gambusia affinis, to counties as needed. All pesticide applications comply with guidelines recommended for mosquito control in New Jersey by the Agricultural Experiment Station of Rutgers University and regulations set forth by the NJ Department of Environmental Protection.īiological control measures are also taken by utilizing different fish species to control larval populations in enclosed habitats. As a last resort, a synthetic pyrethroid is used as an adulticide if unusually large numbers of adult mosquitoes are present and public health is threatened. A petroleum oil derivative is also used from time to time, which is mainly used as a pupacide in aquatic habitats. Chemical control measures are also taken by using an organophosphate liquid larvacide on older larvae that no longer feed. At times, an insect growth regulator that mimics naturally found hormones in mosquito larvae are used to suspend and damage the developmental stages of the immature mosquitoes. Another target specific larvacide uses another bacteria called Bacillus sphaericus (Bs) for the same purpose. Mosquitoes feed on the bacteria, which then releases a crystallized toxin that ruptures the larvas stomach and causes death. The primary insecticide used to control the immature stage is a biorational (a biological pesticide of natural origin that has limited or no adverse effects on the environment or other beneficial organisms) larvacide, which uses bacteria called Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bti) to specifically target mosquito larvae. The immature stages are generally confined to an aquatic microhabitat and are easier to treat since they cannot escape control measures. With an IPM strategy, control efforts focus primarily on the immature, water-borne stages of the mosquito. ![]() This program incorporates many pest control methods including vector surveillance, breeding source prevention and reduction, biological and chemical control, and public education. To accomplish long-range and environmentally sound mosquito control, MCMC employs an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approach. What control efforts are utilized by the agency?
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