Research Product

The southeast United States has the single largest concentration of mosquito control efforts in the United States primarily due to the large concentration of fresh, brackish, and salt water marshes in these areas (NAS 1976). Salt marsh mosquitoes (Aedes sollicitans and Aedes taeniorhynchus) are the major mosquito pests along the entire Atlantic and Gulf Coast of the United States. Salt marsh mosquito control involves the application of chemical insecticides into breeding grounds, near estuarine tidal creeks, in an attempt to kill and control larval mosquitoes. The headwaters of many estuarine tidal creeks serve as nursery grounds for many fish species. The mummichog, Fundulus heteroclitus, is one of the dominant fish species present in these creeks. The application of chemical larvicides for mosquito control into salt marsh breeding grounds may pose a potential toxicity hazard to nontarget aquatic organisms. The larvicides generally recommended for use in South Carolina include: Abate (temephos), Dursban (chloropyrifos), Malathion, Altosid (methoprene), Pyrethrins, and Vectobac (Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis, Bti). Altosid and abate are among the most widely used larvicides in South Carolina and may be potentially toxic to nontarget species.