Thoughts on Municipal Mosquito Control Programs

Dick Bradbury
Maine Forest Service Entomologist

Control programs aimed at reducing mosquito populations from large areas are very complex requiring professionally trained staff to both design and maintain. Annual costs may exceed $20,000 in cities the size of Portland to conduct a complete mosquito control program; if the purpose of mosquito control is to reduce threat from West Nile Virus (WNV), anything less than a complete program is likely to be a waste of money. A single application of insecticide to kill adult mosquitoes can temporarily reduce nuisance biting and may reduce the risk of residents contracting a mosquito borne disease during a major outbreak of WNV, but is not likely to significantly reduce risk when disease levels are less than extreme.

Costs and complexity of these programs are high because many species of mosquitoes are involved, and all have both aquatic larval stages and terrestrial adult stages. Some species have multiple generations per year and annual population levels will vary greatly based on timing and amount of rainfall in any given year. The complexity of the target mosquito population requires constant monitoring. Also, because these control programs often apply pesticides directly to standing water, there is a rigorous permitting process through the Maine Department of Environmental Protection which will need to be negotiated before mosquito reproduction from infested sites is often part of a control program; this practice too requires D.E.P. permits. The bottom line is, if a municipality is planning a complete mosquito management program, it needs to hire a professional in mosquito management to set up and conduct such a program.

The following is a list of companies licensed by the Maine Board of Pesticides Control to apply insecticides to kill mosquitoes. NOTE - They are licensed to apply chemicals but not all are likely to offer complete management programs. Contact the Maine Forest Service, telephone 287-2428 for advice on contracting for a fully integrated mosquito management program.: