Control Measures

A variety of control measures are available to reduce mosquito populations including education, source reduction, larvaciding, and adulticiding. Surveillance techniques are in place to determine the optimum time to implement these control measures.

Source Reduction


If requested, mosquito control personnel are available to perform site evaluations. Many of these requests are handled by simply eliminating the source of the problem, which often are a result of the Asian Tiger Mosquito. The only way to control this mosquito is to eliminate its breeding source. Education is a key component of this.

Larvaciding


Larvaciding is the use of biological agents to kill mosquito larvae. Mosquito breeding sites are found through active larval mosquito surveillance. These sites are mapped and monitored for breeding mosquitoes.

Adulticiding


Adulticiding is the use of Ultra Low Volume (ULV) spraying to kill adult mosquitoes. This is the least effective control measure for reducing the mosquito population within an area. One way staff determine that an area has a particularly high number of adult mosquitoes is to conduct physical landing counts. Landing counts are simply the number of mosquitoes that land on a person within a specified amount of time. When it is determined that this number is significant enough to warrant adulticiding, staff place CDC light traps in an area to catch adult mosquitoes. The collected mosquitoes are identified by sex and species. This data, along with physical landing counts, determine the need for spraying.

Control Products Used By Pitt County Mosquito Control

Product Active Ingredient Type of Control
Product Info
Altosid (30-Day Briquette) Methoprene Larvacide Label
MSDS
Altosid XR (150-Day Briquette) Methoprene Larvacide Label
MSDS
Natular DT Spinosyn A & D Insecticide Label
Vectolex CG Bacillus sphaericus Larvacide Label
MSDS
Vectolex WDG Bacillus sphaericus Larvacide Label
MSDS
Summit BTI Briquette Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. Israelensis Larvacide Label
MSDS
Biomist 3+15 Permethrin Adulticide Label
MSDS
Flit Permethrin Adulticide Label
MSDS