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The American Mosquito Control Association (AMCA)
has a number of concerns with the sale of outdoor
time-released insecticide misting systems to
homeowners and businesses as a means to control
mosquitoes. The number of websites advertising the
sale and installation of these systems appears to be
growing. Some developments are even advertising home
sites pre-plumbed for these systems.
These systems utilize various synergized
formulations of natural pyrethrins or synthetic
pyrethroids that are dispensed into the environment
at intervals determined by the user. Some systems
also utilize minimum risk, FIFRA-exempt pesticides
to control or repel mosquitoes.
The position of the AMCA is that the practice of
dispensing pesticides at predetermined intervals
without surveillance data guiding the treatment is
not consistent with the sound Integrated Mosquito
Management practices that underlie our valued
partnership with the Environmental Protection Agency
in the Pesticide Environmental Stewardship Program.
We are concerned that application of pesticides
through these misting systems will have several
undesirable effects.
1. Unnecessary insecticide use. Users of these
systems would not commonly have the resources to
monitor the local mosquito species and density, or
to evaluate the other parameters used to establish
control thresholds in professional mosquito control
operations. Thus, timed space sprays may result in
needless insecticide applications, leading to
increased costs to the consumer and potentially
adverse environmental impacts.
2. Lack of efficacy data. Other than testimonials,
an historically unreliable source, there is little
to demonstrate that these systems actually serve to
control mosquito populations even when using
demonstrably toxic insecticides. Furthermore, other
materials marketed for use in these systems such as
cedarwood oil, garlic and other “natural” products
by law do not have to prove their efficacy to any
regulatory agency.
3. Non-target impacts. Timed-release sprays will
negatively impact beneficial insect populations and
other non-target organisms on site and through
uncontrolled off-site drift.
4. Promotion of insecticide resistance. The
indiscriminate application of pyrethrins will
continually select for resistance to the whole
pyrethroid class of mosquitocides, all of which
utilize the same fundamental mode of action. The
synthetic pyrethroids currently play an essential
role in the mosquito adulticiding component of
integrated mosquito management programs that manage
resistance formulation through rotation of
pesticides of different modes of action and other
methods. The potential loss of these compounds from
our suite of control methods, resulting from
widespread development of resistance, would
seriously compromise our capability to control adult
mosquito populations responsible for disease
transmission or severe annoyance.
5. Risk of pesticide exposure. It appears that
safeguards to minimize the risk of direct contact
with pesticide sprays by residents are lacking from
many of these systems. Pyrethrins, though relatively
safe compounds, bear the signal word “Caution” on
the label, and the precautionary statements indicate
that they may be harmful if inhaled. Labels also
advise that pets and birds be removed and aquaria
covered before spraying. Assuring homeowner
compliance with these stipulations would be
difficult, given that application of the pesticides
is automated and can be overridden by the homeowner
by means of wireless remote.
6. Incompatible with integrated pest management
practices. The level of hands-off, automated
control these systems promise may result in
homeowners neglecting to use other methods to reduce
local mosquito populations – even if encouraged by
the installation technician. Practices such as
removing mosquito larval habitats from the property
or using personal repellents are essential to
reducing human/mosquito contact. Neglecting these
practices would, in turn, increase reliance upon the
use of broadcast adulticides and propagate the
unsound, one-dimensional approach to mosquito
control these systems provide.
Many of these problems are currently being
addressed by a formal consortium of stakeholders,
regulators and mosquito control experts. Best
management practices and advertising guidelines are
being developed that will bring these systems more
in conformance with acceptable mosquito control
methods. Nonetheless, until misting systems are
reconfigured so that surveillance drives the
application, efficacy is demonstrated and drift is
minimized, AMCA believes they are not consistent
with sound practices to promote public and
environmental health and should be discouraged.
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