of the Florida Mosquito Control Associationwingbeats.floridamosquito.org/Wingbeats/pdfs/Vol23No1.pdf · fact, the southeastern United States, and Florida in particular, are home to

of the Florida Mosquito Control Association

Vol 23, No 1 Spring 2012

An Official Publication of the

THE AMERICAN MOSQUITO CONTROL ASSOCIATION

Wing Beats

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Wing Beats

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Florida Mosquito Control Association • PO Box 61598 • Fort Myers, FL 33906-1598

Wing Beats: An official publication of the American Mosquito Control Association, published quarterly by the Florida Mosquito Control Association. This magazine is intended to keep all interested parties informed on matters as they relate to mosquito control. All rights reserved. Reproduction, in whole or part, for educational purposes is permitted, without permission, with proper citation. The FMCA and the AMCA have not tested any of the products advertised or referred to in this publication, nor have they verified any of the statements made in any of the advertisements or articles. The FMCA and the AMCA do not warrant, expressly or implied, the fitness of any product advertised or the suitability of any advice or statements contained herein. Opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily the opinions or policies of the FMCA or the AMCA.

Subscriptions: Wing Beats is sent free of charge to anyone within the continental United States. Subscriptions are available for the cost of first class postage to any foreign address at the following rates: Europe, UK and Australia US$20; Canada, US$6; South America US$10. Make checks and purchase orders payable to the Florida Mosquito Control Association.

Correspondence: Address all correspondence regarding Wing Beats to the Editor-in-Chief, Stephen Sickerman, 200 Derby Woods Drive, Lynn Haven, FL 32444-3318. Readers are invited to submit articles related to mosquito andbiting fly biology and control, or letters to the Managing Editor, Jack Petersen. There is no charge if your article or letter is printed, and authors will receive a PDF of their published article. Authors, photographers and artists are invited to submit high quality original artwork in electronic format for possible use in the magazine or on the cover; $100 will be paid for each cover photo. Businesses are invited to place advertisements through the Director of Advertising, Dennis Moore.

Change of Address: Please promptly notify the Wing Beats Circulation Editor, Marin Brouillard, [email protected], regarding change of address, address corrections or to discontinue your subscription.

Flor i da ’ s Frog-b i t ing Mosqu i toe s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5by Erik M Blosser and L Philip Lounibos

Public PowerPoint Presentations and Pupae . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15by Adrian L Salinas

Second International Forum for Surveillance and Controlof Mosquitoes and Mosquito-borne Diseases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16by Rui-De Xue, Tong-Yan Zhao, Chun-Xiao Li, Günter C Müller,Kenneth J Linthicum, Paul J Linser and Jeanne Moeller

One Cold Culex: A Frozen Portrait . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22by Pablo D Quinonez

The New Orleans Experience: Using Gambusia to ControlMosquito Larvae in Abandoned Swimming Pools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27by Gerald Marten, Cynthia Harrison, Mieu Nguyen, Stephen Sackett, Gregory Thompson, Michael Carroll & Claudia Riegel

Designing Infrastructure to Eliminate Mosquito Colonization . . . . . . . . . 38by Jim Shaffer

From Where I Sit: Notes from the AMCA Technical Advisor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43by Joe Conlon

About the Cover: Nine Uranotaenia lowii feed on a calling Southern Toad, Bufo terrestris. The chorus of toads was found in a temporary woodland pool in Vero Beach, FL in September 2011. Photograph by Erik Blosser.

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of the Florida Mosquito Control Association

Editor-in-Chief Stephen L Sickerman 850-814-2610 [email protected]

Managing Editor Jack Petersen 850-866-9895 [email protected]

Director of Advertising Dennis Moore 727-376-4568 [email protected]

Circulation Editor Marin Brouillard 239-436-1000 [email protected]

Associate Editors Dave Dame, Gainesville, FL CDR Eric Hoffman, Jacksonville, FL Thomas R Wilmot, Sanford, MI Eric Schreiber, Sarasota, FL

Regional Editors Glenn Collett, Salt Lake City, UT Timothy D Deschamps, Northborough, MA William C Reinert, Northfield, NJ Thomas R Wilmot, Sanford, MI

Editorial Review Board Doug Carlson, Indian River, FL C Roxanne Connelly, Vero Beach, FL Mustapha Debboun, Fort Sam Houston, TX Wayne Kramer, Baton Rouge, LA L Philip Lounibos, Vero Beach, FL Dennis Moore, Odessa, FL Steve Mulligan, Selma, CA John J Smith, Norwood, MA

Florida Mosquito Control Association FMCA President Larry Hribar, Marathon, FL [email protected]

FMCA Executive Director Shelly Redovan PO Box 61598 Fort Myers, FL 33906 1-855-OUR-FMCA [email protected]

American Mosquito Control Association AMCA President Thomas R Wilmot, Sanford, MI [email protected]

AMCA Executive Director Sarah B Gazi 15000 Commerce Parkway, Suite C Mount Laurel, NJ 08054 856-439-9222 [email protected]

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Spring 2012Wing Beats 5

Flor ida ’s warm, ra iny cl imate is ideal for frogs and the mos-quitoes that feed on them. In fact, the southeastern Uni ted States, and Florida in particular, are home to a number of frog and mosqui to species which do not occur in the rest of North America, having originated from neotropical relatives. However, l i t t le i s known about Flor ida ’s frog-bit ing mosquitoes. This is likely due to their elusive habits and their negligible impact as pests or human disease vectors. St i l l, there are several reasons

for studying these creatures. Be-sides being fascinating in their own right, frog-biting mosquitoes can help us unders tand pat-terns and behaviors that apply to mosquitoes in general. Host selection and host defense are two such subjects. Additionally, recent evidence has pointed to the possibi l it y that ectotherms may be involved in the main-tenance of viruses important to humans, such as Eastern Equine Encephalit is vi rus (Cupp et al, 2004). In th is ar t icle we int ro-duce a few of the f rog-bit ing

mosquitoes of south Florida and consider some of the similarities and differences between these species.

One method for categor iz ing the biting habits of mosquitoes is based on host specificity. Spe-cies fall along a range anywhere from generalists to specialists. Generalists are able to feed on a var iet y of hosts; specia l i s ts are expected to be more highly adapted to their preferred host group. These adaptations could include any number of t ra i ts,

Florida’s Frog-biting Mosquitoesby Erik M Blosser and L Philip Lounibos

Figure 1: Culex iolambdis feeding on a Cuban Treefrog, Osteopilus septentrionalis.

Spring 2012 Wing Beats6

such as ability to detect certain host cues, preference in fl ight height, size of proboscis or other body parts, etc. In some envi-ronments, amphibians account for a large percentage of the vertebrate biomass, so it is not surprising that mosquitoes have adapted to this blood source. One adaptation which has been discovered in several of these frog-biting specialists is an at-traction to the sound of calling male frogs. The following frog-biting species are arranged from generalist to specialist.

Culex iolambdis

This tropical species is found in southern Florida, the Caribbean and in Cent ra l and no r the rn South Amer ica. A long w i th a number of other Culex species in Florida, it is a member of the

subgenus Melanoconion. This g roup inc ludes a number of smal l, dark mosquitoes which have often been recorded feed-ing on cold-blooded animals. In 1979, John Edman reported on the Florida blood meal hosts of f ive species of Melanoco-nion mosquitoes, three of which (Culex opisthopus, Cx peccator, and Cx pilosus) were found to have at least one blood meal f rom an amphibian. Of these species, Cx peccator and Cx p i losus obta ined the ma jo r-i t y (>50%) of thei r blood from ectotherms, mostly repti les. In Edman’s s tudy few Culex io l-ambdis were collected and host blood was only from birds. This study and others show that many Melanoconion mosquitoes feed on ectotherms including frogs, though in some cases, a s ig-nificant number of meals also come from birds and mammals making them generalists.

Culex iolambdis seems to follow these genera l i s t tendencies.

Figure 2: Close-up of Culex iolambdis feeding on a turtle, the Florida Red-bellied Cooter, Pseudemys nelsoni.

Figure 3: Putative Culex territans feeding on the Southern Leopard Frog, Rana sphenocephala; ID is tentative since the mosquito escaped collection.


Figure 4: Female Uranotaenia sapphirina resting on the water surface.

Figure 5: Uranotaenia lowii feeding on the Squirrel Treefrog, Hyla squirella.

This species has been observed m u l t i p l e t i m e s i n t h e f i e l d , feeding on the Cuban Treefrog, Osteopilus septentrionalis; see Figu re 1. However, La r r ick et a l (2010 ) re ce n t l y re p o r te d b lood meal s ident i f ied f rom f ro g s , l i za rd s , b i rd s , ra b b i t s and raccoons. An addit ional observation of several females feeding on a turtle adds to this range of hosts; see Figure 2.

Culex territans

In contrast to many of the other frog-feeders, Culex (Neoculex) terri tans i s a cold hardy mos-qui to; see Figure 3. Having a holarctic distribution, this species is found throughout much of the United States and Canada as well as Europe and northern Asia. Several studies have identified hos t s o f Culex te r r i tans wi th


Figure 6: Uranotaenia lowii feeding on a calling Eastern Narrowmouth Toad, Gastrophryne carolinensis.

generally 60-90% of bloodmeals taken f rom amph ib ians (eg, Burkett-Cadena et al, 2008). This places th is mosquito towards the special is t end of the host g e ne ra l i s t - s p e c i a l i s t s ca l e, increasing the expectation of adaptations fit t ing the chosen h o s t . I n d e e d, B a r l e t t - H e a l y e t a l (20 08a) showed i n the laboratory that females of this species are at t racted to f rog ca l l s , par t icu la r l y the ca l l of the Spring Peeper, Pseudacris c r u c i f e r, a f r o g e m e r g i n g f rom h ibernat ion a round the same time that early spring Cx territans are ready to feed.

Uranotaenia lowii

The genus Uranotaenia is mainly tropical, with two representatives i n F l o r i d a : U r l o w i i a n d U r s a p p h i r i n a ; s e e F i g u r e 4 . Uranotaenia species are small-bodied mosquitoes, with many of the worldwide representatives t h o u g h t t o s p e c i a l i z e o n a mph i b ia n s (eg , Ta ma s h i ro et al, 2011). Uranotaenia lowii i t se l f ranges th roughout the southeastern United States and i s l i ke l y a l s o a n a m p h i b i a n special is t, although there are currently no major bloodmeal s tudies to confi rm th is s tatus.

I n Ve ro Beach, Uranotaen ia lowii i s local ly abundant and has been observed in numbers o n t he Sou the rn Toa d, Bu fo t e r re s t r i s , s e e f r o n t c o v e r ; Squirrel Treefrog, Hyla squirella, see Figure 5; Green Treefrog, Hy la c ine rea ; and even the tiny Eastern Narrowmouth Toad, Gastrophryne carolinensis, see Figure 6. In Costa Rica, Borkent and Belton (2006) recorded the attraction of large numbers of this species to traps using frog calls as bait, suggesting that Ur lowii l ikely uses sound to locate its host. However, the observation of feedings on such a variety of

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anuran families argues against a narrow host range within the frogs and toads, though there are likely preferences for some f rog s pec ie s and ca l l s ove r others.

Although these three mosquito species come from two genera a n d t h re e d i s ta n t l y re l a te d subgene ra, they face some common challenges. In order

to feed successfully, a mosquito must not only be able to detect its host (through sound, carbon dioxide, etc) but also overcome host defenses (sk in secretions, movements, etc). Us ing infra-red video camera recordings, obse r va t i on s we re made o f mosquito-host interact ions in the Vero Beach area. Although ma le f rogs and toads spent most of their time calling, rapid

leg motions were occasionally used to frighten off or dislodge at tack ing mosqui toes. These behaviors consisted mostly of quick kicks with the back legs or swipes over the head or chest with the front legs. The series of images in Figure 7 illustrates the swiping motion used by a South-ern Toad to remove an attacker from its stomach. Although this attacker is a biting midge in the

Figure 7: A series of infared images showing the defensive wiping motion of a Southern Toad, Bufo terrestris, against two biting midges from the family Corethrellidae, which are feeding on the toad’s stomach.


family Corethrellidae, similar de-fensive motions are used against mosquitoes.

Do these chal lenges resul t in s im i la r i t i e s among the f rog -biting mosquito species? Several generalities can be suggested. First, frog-biting diptera tend to be nocturnal. There are exceptions, such as the biting ceratopogonid midge Forcipomyia fairfaxensis, but the majority of flies which are known to feed regularly on frogs are active at night. This is not too surprising, since most frogs and toads are also active and calling at night. This is the time when these hosts are easiest to detect. Secondly, the frog-biting species discussed here all spend their larval stages in ground pools rather than container habitats. This may increase contact with frog hosts and in Cx terri tans, larval habitat has been shown to be closely correlated with host presence (Bar tlet t-Healy et al, 2008b). A final similarity among frog-biting species is small body s i ze. The genus Uranotaenia includes some of the smallest mosquitoes of any genus and the subgenus Melanoconion includes some of the smallest of the Culex. Even Cx territans is a fairly small Culex mosquito, although not as small as these other groups. In parasite biology, Harrison’s rule states that parasite body size tends to correlate to host size such that larger hosts have larger parasites. Examples a re seen i n i n sect s tha t a re close ly associated wi th the i r hos t such as l i ce, f l eas and flower thrips (Kirk, 1991). Although mosquitoes do not live on their host, sufficient host interaction may occur to select for body size. The frog’s combination of relatively smal l body s ize and good defens ive abi l i t ies may favor mosquitoes having a small, agile body for successful blood feeding.

Erik M BlosserPhD Student

[email protected]

L Philip LounibosProfessor

[email protected]

Florida MedicalEntomology Laboratory

Institute of Food andAgricultural SciencesUniversity of Florida

200 9th Street SEVero Beach, FL 32962

772-778-7200

There is much to be learned from Florida’s frog-biting mosquitoes. The abi l i t y to observe natural mosquito-host interactions is a great oppor tun i t y that could lead to discoveries applicable to other hosts which are more difficult to observe directly. The impor tance of ectotherms as disease reservoirs is receiving increased attention leading to quest ions about the habits of the bit ing f l ies which feed on them. And, if nothing else, there is a fascinating story behind the l ives of these smal l, secret ive mosquitoes.

REFERENCES CITED

Ba r t l e t t - H ea l y K , C ra n s W & Gaugler R. 2008a. Phonotaxis to amphibian vocalization in Culex terri tans (D iptera: Cul icidae). Ann Entomo l Soc Am 101(1): 95-103.

Ba r t l e t t - H ea l y K , C ra n s W & Gaug le r R. 2008b. Tempora l and spatial synchrony of Culex territans (Diptera: Culicidae) with thei r amphibian hosts. J Med Entomol 45: 1031-1038.

B o r ke n t A & B e l to n P. 20 06. Attraction of female Uranotaenia lowii (Diptera: Culicidae) to frog calls in Costa Rica. Can Entomol 138: 91-94.

Burkett-Cadena ND, Graham SP, Hassan HK, Guyer C, Eubanks MD, Katho l i CR, Unnasch TR. 2008. B lood feeding pat terns of potent ia l arbovi rus vectors of the genus Culex ta rget ing ectothermic hosts. Am J Trop Med Hyg 79: 809-815.

C u p p E W, Z h a n g D, Yu e X , Cupp MS, Guyer C, Sprenger TR, Unnasch TR. 2004. Identification o f re p t i l i a n a nd a m p h i b i a n blood meals from mosquitoes i n a n e a s t e r n e q u i n e e n -cephalomyel i t i s v i rus focus in

cent ra l A labama. Am J Trop Med Hyg 71: 272-276.

Edman JD. 1979. Host-feeding patterns of Florida mosquitoes (Diptera: Cul icidae). VI. Culex (Melanoconion). J Med Entomol 15: 521-525.

K i r k , WDJ. 1991. The s i ze re -lationship between insects and the i r hos t s . Eco l Entomol 16: 351-359.

Larrick S, Blosser EM & Connelly CR . “Cu lex (Me la no co n io n) i o l a m b d i s D y a r ” F e a t u r e d Creatures. Ed. Thomas R Fasulo. 2010. University of Florida. 3 Feb 2012 <ht tp://entnemdept.uf l.edu/creatures/aquatic/culex _iolambdis.htm>.

Tamashiro M, Toma T, Mannen K , H i g a Y & M i y a g i I . 2 011. B loodmeal identi f icat ion and feeding habits of mosquitoes (Diptera: Cul icidae) col lected a t f i ve i s lands i n the Ryuk yu A r c h i p e l a g o , J a p a n . M e d Entomol Zool 62: 53-70.

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One of my duties at the Collier M os q u i to Co nt ro l D i s t r i c t i n Naples, Florida, is to rear Aedes aegypti for public educational events. I learned how to rear mosqu i toes yea r s ago f rom Johnny Jackson at the USDA Center for Medical and Veterinary E n t o m o l o g y La b o ra t o r y, i n Gainesville, from Mike Greer at the Publ ic Health Entomology Research and Education Center in Panama City, and by reading the Manual for Mosquito Rearing and Experimental Techniques, published by the AMCA. During community events, we discuss the mosquito life cycle and use live mosquito larvae for school science programs. PowerPoint p r e s e n t a t i o n s , c l a s s r o o m

a c t i v i t i e s , a n d i n fo r m a t i o n booths are great, but adding l i v e w i g g l e r s a l w a y s g e t s everyone’s attention. A few days before each event, I hatch the mosqu i to eggs, sp r i n k le the water with food and then watch them grow. For school projects, such as a bioassay, I use second to th i rd instar larvae or I may need all the stages for a public information event. Also, rearing to replenish egg stock is a vital ongoing process. One of the more interest ing t imes of the rearing process is anticipating the change f rom the fou r th ins ta r to pupae. What I wo rk towards is a high percentage, synchronized change to pupae. I get really excited when I go to

the insectary and see trays of pure pupae, as pictured above. So, the next time you see pupae, think of me pouring thousands into a s ieve, w i th a smi le on my face, as I put them into the rearing cages.

Public PowerPoint Presentations and Pupae by Adrian L Salinas

Adrian L SalinasPublic Information Officer

[email protected] Mosquito Control District

600 North RoadNaples, FL 34104

239-436-1000


The Entomological Societ y of China (ESC) and Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemi-o logy (B IME) hos ted the 2nd International Forum for Surveil-lance and Control of Mosquitoes and Mosquito-borne Diseases in Beijing, China, May 23-27, 2011. The meeting theme was impact of global climate change and urbanization on mosquito-borne diseases. The meeting provided an opportunity to discuss mos-quito-borne disease status and futu re chal lenges caused by global warming and urbaniza-t ion in China and elsewhere. Other objectives were to share i n fo rmat ion abou t re sea rch and management of vecto r m o s q u i to e s a n d m o s q u i to -bo rne d i seases , to p romote new techniques and methods fo r su r ve i l l ance and cont ro l of mosquitoes and mosquito-borne diseases, and to identify poss ib le a reas of wo r ldw ide collaboration for research and development of new methods and techniques for surveillance and control of mosquitoes and mosquito-borne diseases.

More than 15 lead ing scien-t i s ts in the f ie lds of mosqui to s u r ve i l l a nce a nd co n t ro l o f mosquito-borne diseases from eleven countr ies were inv i ted to give presentat ions in the 3 panel sess ions in the morning or one of 10 sections in the af-ternoon. The 3 panel sess ions i nc luded impact s o f g loba l climate changes and urbaniza-tion on diseases, vector biology and toxicology, and control and management of projects. The 10 sections included diseases, vector surveil lance, molecular b io logy and phys io logy, be -havior and ecology, repellents, insecticides and toxicity, invasive vectors and their management, techno logy and equ ipment, programs, legislation, education and professional association. A total of 25 presentations were given in the 3 panel sess ions, and 47 presentations given in the 10 sections. The meeting at-tracted over 200 attendees from 11 countries, 30 Chinese prov-inces, and 10 private companies achieving both national and in-ternational attention. Six of the

eight participants from Florida provided 11 presentations. Oral presentat ions were in Engl i sh only. Three projectors (the center screen was in English and 2 side screens were in translated Chi-nese) were used to facilitate the communications. The program was printed in both English and Chinese. The presentations, ab-stracts, and participants’ names and contact information were brought together on a s ing le DVD that was distr ibuted to al l participants. All participants in the 1st day were photographed together in front of the hotel. All international scientists and par-ticipants were invited to visit and tour the Medical Insect Gallery and the Department of Vector Biology and Control, BIME, Feng-tai, Beijing and the Department of Vector Biology and Control, Institute for Communicable Dis-ease Cont ro l and Prevent ion ( ICDCP), China CDC, Chang-ping, Beijing, and the Great Wall following the facility tours.

Tong-Yang Zhao (Professor and Director of the Department of

Second International Forum for Surveillance and Controlof Mosquitoes and Mosquito-borne Diseases

by Rui-De Xue, Tong-Yan Zhao, Chun-Xiao Li, Günter C Müller, Kenneth J Linthicum, Paul J Linser and Jeanne Moeller


Vecto r B io logy and Cont ro l , BIME, Beijing, China) and Rui-De Xue (Director and Entomologist, Anastasia Mosquito Control Dis-t r ict [AMCD], St August ine, FL) opened the meeting and mod-erated the 1st panel sess ion. Rui-De Xue gave the conference pres ident ia l address: “ Where shou ld we go? ” Zhong - N ing Zhang (Secretary of the ESC and China Congressman) and Wu-Chun Cao (Director of the BIME) gave the welcome address.

Ke n n e t h L i n t h i c u m (C e n t e r D i r e c t o r , U S D A C e n t e r f o r M e d i c a l , A g r i c u l t u ra l , a n d V e t e r i n a r y E n t o m o l o g y , Gainesvi l le, FL) presented the keynote address, “ Impacts of global climate change/variability and its impacts on mosquito-borne diseases.” Wu-Chun Cao spoke about “Global status of infectious diseases.” Jandouwe Villinger (International Center for Insect Physiology and Ecology, Na i rob i, Kenya) spoke about “MassCode for Pan-arbovi rus surveil lance in East Africa.” Ary Fa ra jo l lah i (Supe r i n tendent, Mercer County Mosquito Control and Center for Vector Biology, Rutgers Univers i t y, NJ) gave a presentation about “Area-wide management of Aedes albo-pictus, the Asian tiger mosquito, USA.” Tong-Yan Zhao gave a pre-sentation about “The impacts of urbanization on control of mos-qu i toes and mosqui to -borne disease in China.” David Brown (D i rector of Sacramento-Yolo Va l l ey M osqu i to and Vecto r Cont ro l D i s t r ict, Sacramento, CA) gave a presentation about “Legislative and regulatory issues affecting mosquito control in the United States.” In the 2nd panel session, Ken Linthicum and Err-Lieh Hsu (Taiwan) moderated the sess ion. Qi-Yong Liu (Professor and D i rector, Depar tment of Vecto r B io logy and Cont ro l , I C D C P, C h i n a C D C ) s p o k e

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about “Mosquito-borne disease su r ve i l l ance in Ch ina CDC.” Günter Müller (Visiting Professor, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel) gave a presentation about “Sugar feeding behaviors and possible use for mosquitoes and sand fly control.” Theeraphap Chareonviryyaphap (Professor, Depa r tment o f Entomo logy, Kasetsar t Univers i t y, Bangkok, Thailand) spoke about “Overview of impact of insect ic ides on mosquito behaviors.” Paul Linser (Professor, University of Florida, Whitney Laboratory, St Augustine, FL) gave a presentation entitled “Molecular analysis of alimentary canal funct ion: ta rget ing fo r novel control strategies.” Nan-N a n L i u ( P r o fe s s o r , A u b u r n U n i ve r s i t y, A L) s p o ke a b o u t “ G e n e s a n d m e c h a n i s m s : h o w m o s q u i t o e s d e v e l o p re s i s ta nce to i n s e ct i c i d e s .” Chuan- L ing Q iao (P ro fes so r, Ins t i tu te of Zoo logy, Ch inese Academy) gave a presentation about “ S ta tus of i n sect ic ide re s i s tance o f mosqu i toes i n China.” Tong-Yan Zhao gave a presentation about “Control and management of chickungunya vecto r s i n Ch ina ” and Ha r r y Zhong (Professor, FAMU-PHEREC, Panama City, FL) spoke about “Minimizing nontarget impacts fo r a e r i a l U l t ra Low Vo l u m e mosquito adulticiding.” In the 3rd panel session, Paul Linser and Qi-Yong Liu moderated the session.

Xue-Li Zheng (Professor, Nanfang Medical University, Guangzhou, Ch ina) gave a p resenta t ion about “Expression, purification and identification of the domain I I I of DENV I I envelop prote in in Escherichia coli ” and Jonas Schmidt-Chanas i t (Be rnha rd N o c h t I n s t i t u te fo r T ro p i ca l Medicine, Hamburg, Germany) spoke about “German Arbovirus su r vei l lance, 2009-2010.” Er r-L ieh Hsu (Emer i tu s P rofes so r, National Taiwan University) gave a presentation about “Mosquito-b o r n e d i s e a s e s a n d ve c to r control measurements in Taiwan.” Mustapha Debboun (Colonel a n d En to m o l o g i s t , U S A r my Medica l Depar tment Cente r and School) gave a presentation a b ou t “ M osq u i to re p e l l e n t s u sed aga in s t mosqu i toes i n US m i l i ta r y.” Joseph D ickens (Research Chemist, USDA-ARS) g a ve a p re s e n ta t i o n a b o u t “New ins ight on the mode of act i on o f i n sect repe l l en t s ” a n d T i a n -X i Ya n g ( Zh e j i a n g CDC, Hangzhou, China) spoke about “Pesticide analysis from mosquito larval habitats.” Abu Ahmad (Professor and Dean, School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sain Malaysia) gave a presentation about “Control and management of dengue fever vectors in Malaysia” and Gregory Williams (Superintendent, Hudson County Mosquito Contro l Uni t and Center for Vector Biology,

Rutgers Un ive rs i t y, NJ) spoke about “Strategies for the area-wide control of Aedes albopictus larvae, USA.”

Dav id B rown moderated the disease section in the afternoon of the 1st day. In th i s sect ion there were presentations about mo lecu la r ep idemio logy o f Japanese encephalit is virus in Ta iwan, malar ia and malar ia vector su r ve i l lance in China, dengue v i rus t ransmiss ion in Ae albopictus, dengue vector co n t ro l i n G u a n gzh o u , a n d g e o - s p a ce a n a l y s i s . I n t h e vector surveillance section, co-moderated by Gregory Williams and Zhong-Ming Wang (BIME), there were presentations about BG sent i ne l mosqu i to t raps , class i f icat ion of mosqui toes, mosquito surveillance, dengue vector surveil lance by ovitraps i n Ta i wa n , D N A b a r co d i n g fo r mosqu i to i dent i f i ca t i on , Kd r g e ne a n d re s i s ta nce i n Anopheles mosquitoes.

Pau l L inser and Chun-X iao L i (Associate Professor, BIME and President, Academic Association of Medical Entomology, ESC) co-moderated the sect ion of m o l e cu l a r a n d p hy s i o l o g y. I n th i s sect ion, the re we re 4 presentations about resistance evolution, molecular resistance to Bac i l l u s s p p, e f f i ca cy o f Ba c i l l u s s p p i s o l a te s , g e n e


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Don’t Miss the14th Annual AMCA

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copy number and resistance. T Chareonviryyaphap and Mei-De Liu (Associate Professor, B IME) co-moderated the behavior and ecology section. In this section, t h e re we re 3 p re s e n ta t i o n s about habitats of sand fl ies in Mal i and Middle East, activ it y of stomoxyine fl ies in Thailand and biting activity of Anopheles sinensis in China.

M Debboun and G Mül ler co-m o d e r a t e d t h e r e p e l l e n t sect ion, whe re the re we re 4 presentations about behavioral response of mosquitoes to DEET, green chemistry repellents, de-signing and developing spatial and top ica l repe l l ent s , and evaluation of spatial repellents. The section on insecticides and toxicology was moderatyed by Chuan-Ling Qiao and Nan-Nan Liu. There were 4 presentations about new insecticide resistance genes, resistance bioassays for la r val and adul t mosqui toes, resistance surveillance, and py-rethroid insecticide resistance detection. There were 3 presen-tat ions in the invasive vectors and their management section dealing with dengue vector con-trol, investigation in border area, and mosquitoes in entry ships.

Günter Müller and Wei-Long Tan (BIME) co-moderated the tech-nology and equipment section. In this section, there were 8 pre-sentations about attractive toxic sugar baits, acoustic larvicide, products from BASF, thermal fog-gers and ULV machines, Beijing GreenLeaf p roducts, Bayer ’s vecto r co n t ro l so l u t i o n a nd products.

I n the sect ion ded ica ted to p rog rams, Jan ice Bequet te (Commiss ioner, AMCD) mod-erated. In th i s sect ion, there we re 3 p resenta t i on s abou t USDA-CMAVE programs, AMCD’s applied research program, and

Rui-De XueDirector

[email protected]

Jeanne MoellerCommissioner

[email protected]

Anastasia MosquitoControl District

500 Old Beach RoadSt Augustine, FL 32080

904-471-3107

Tong-Yan ZhaoProfessor

Chun-Xiao LiAssociate Professor

[email protected] of VectorBiology and Control

Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology

20 Dongdajie, Fengtai District Beijing 100071, China

Günter C MüllerVisiting Professor

[email protected] of Microbiology

and Molecular GeneticsInstitute for Medical Research

Israel-CanadaHebrew University

PO Box 12272Jerusalem 91120, Israel

Kenneth J LinthicumCenter Director

[email protected]

USDA Center for Medical, Agricultural and Veterinary

EntomologyGainesville, FL 32608

352-374-5901

Paul J LinserProfessor

[email protected] of Florida

The Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience

9505 Ocean Shore BlvdSt Augustine, FL 32080

904-461-4000

the FAM U - PHEREC p rog ram. J e a n n e M o e l l e r ( C o m m i s -s ioner, AMCD) moderated the legislation, education, and as-sociat ion sect ion. In the f inal section, there were 5 presenta-tions about California mosquito and vector control, education programs in Florida, Society of Vector Ecology, Chinese Society of Vector Biology and Control, and Academic Association of Medical Entomology, ESC.

At the end of the conference, Rui-De Xue made some conclud-ing remarks about the meeting’s programs and success. He ex-pressed thanks and appreciation to the meeting hosts and orga-nizers, funding organizations and associations, companies, hotel, al l speakers, moderators, and attendees. The program com-mittee has decided that the 3rd International Forum for Surveil-lance and Control of Mosquito and Mosquito-borne Diseases will be held in Suzhou, China, May 27-31, 2013.

Also, the commit tee meeting for the Asian Society of Vector Ecology and Mosquito Control (ASVEMC) was he ld in Be i j ing after the international forum. The logo, by-laws, and officers for the society were discussed and approved by the commit tee. Tong -Yan Zhao was e lected a s t h e 1s t P r e s i d e n t o f t h e ASVEMC. Other officers for the society are Qi-Yong Liu, Günter Mü l le r, X iao -Peng Zeng, Jun Sun, Err-Lieh Hsu, Theeraphap Chareonviryyaphap, B Reddya N a i k , A b u A h m a d , a n d K M u r u g a n . T h e A S V E M C w i l l sponsor and organize the 3rd International Forum with the ESC and BIME.


Ear ly one morning in Novem-ber 2011, while running routine mosquito surveillance activities in Fairfax County, Virginia, I re-moved the lid from a container and found a Culex mosqui to res t ing on the su r face of the wa te r i n s i d e t h e co n ta i n e r. Upon closer observation, I re-a l ized that the mosqui to was frozen and that small ice crys-ta l s had fo rmed on i t s body overn ight. I t was an amazing s ight. Unfor tunately, I d id not have my micro lens w i th me that day, so I returned the next day with hopes that the crystals

had formed on the mosqui to again dur ing the co ld n ight. However, due to warmer tem-p e ra t u re s , t h e c r y s ta l s h a d melted and turned into water droplets along the wings, ab-domen, l egs and p robosc i s o f t he i n sect. The mosqu i to w a s p h o t o g r a p h e d m a n y times over unti l it was properly photo-documented.

T h i s p a r t i c u l a r m o s q u i t o i s thought to be Culex pipiens, rather than Culex restuans, due to the fact that Cx pipiens i s more common later in the year.

One Cold Culex: A Frozen Portrait by Pablo D Quiñónez

Pablo D QuiñónezEnviron Health Technician

[email protected]

Disease-CarryingInsects Program

Fairfax County Health Dept10777 Main StreetFairfax, VA 22030

703-966-6400


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On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina brought New Orleans a flood of unexpected and dev-astating consequences. Among them was the sudden creation of several thousand unattended swimming pools, l i t tered with fallen trees, furniture, and other household goods and debr i s from the hurricane and receding flood waters. The mucky water in the pools provided ideal habi-tat for vectors of West Nile virus, eastern equine encephal i t i s , and St Louis encephalitis. During the months immediately follow-ing the hurricane, many of the pools were infested with large numbers of Culiseta inornata, Culex quinquefasciatus, and Cx salinarius larvae. There were few people in New Orleans at that time, but no one knew whether this unprecedented mosquito production would set in motion a serious disease outbreak when people returned. Many people would be living in trailers for ex-tended periods, exposing them to mosquitoes.

The Cit y of New Orleans Mos-q u i t o , Te r m i t e a n d R o d e n t Control Board (Mosquito Con-t ro l) needed to take decis ive action as quick ly as poss ible, despi te the fact that the ci t y was in shock and preoccupied with an overwhelming roster of c leanup and recons t ruct ion act iv i t ies. Covering the pools was not a long-term so lut ion because covers could collect rainwater that would continue to provide habitat. Covers could

also be hazardous, particularly for children. Larviciding clearly had a role, but it was out of the question to rely entirely on larvi-cides because Mosquito Control lacked the staff to treat so many pools on a continuing basis.

Fi sh seemed most promis ing because a s ing le t reatment could provide long-lasting con-t ro l. The ef fect iveness of f i sh was apparent in pools that al-ready contained them from the Katr ina flood, a natural stock-ing of approximately 750 pools with mosquito fish, moll ies, k i l-l ifish, and minnows. In January 20 06, a deci s ion was made to introduce fish to all unmain-ta ined swimming pools. Thus began a program of emergency mosquito control for a city in dis-array, a program that sometimes had to proceed under makeshift condit ions and with less than adequa te i n fo rmat ion, and which continued to be extremely challenging for several years.

B e f o r e H u r r i c a n e K a t r i n a , Mosqu i to Cont ro l somet imes trapped local kil l ifish or mollies for introduction to unmaintained swimming pools, but a larger fish supply was needed on a regu-lar basis. After several months of searching, a catfish farm with

la rge numbers of Gambus ia affinis was found in Mississippi. Twenty thousand fish at a time were transferred by truck from the catfish farm to New Orleans for holding in two 18-foot-diam-eter, above-ground, aerated swimming pools. Fish introduc-tions began in Apri l 2006 and continued throughout the hot New Orleans summer.

Transporting fish from the hold-ing tanks to swimming pools was an enormous job. For tunately, t h e n o n - p ro f i t o rg a n i za t i o n Operat ion B less ing prov ided out-of-town volunteers to assist Mosqu i to Cont ro l s ta f f. Each morning an assembly line netted f i s h f rom the ho ld i ng tank s , counted out approximately 50 fish by pouring them into a cali-brated cyl inder, poured those fish into a plastic bag, and put oxygen into the bags. The bags were transported to the pools in large coolers (without ice) in the back of pickup trucks that set out for the entire day. The crews worked with swimming pool ad-dress lists compiled from records of real estate listings and several thousand backyard inspections conducted during the previous months. Later, Mosquito Control staff used a Pictometry® aerial photo system and Google Map to survey every street by com-puter, viewing overhead photos to re t r i eve the add res ses o f houses with pools; see Figure 1. In the end, f ie ld teams in-spected 4,651 pools to ascertain whether they needed fish.

The New Orleans Experience: Using Gambusiato Control Mosquito Larvae in Abandoned Swimming Poolsby Gerald Marten, Cynthia Harrison, Mieu Nguyen, StephenSackett, Gregory Thompson, Michael Carroll & Claudia Riegel


One bag of fish was poured into each pool, and VectoLex® (Ba-cillus sphaericus) was applied to suppress mosquito production until the fish established a larger population. As the City was under a s tate of emergency due to public health threats, Mosquito

Control crews had the author-ity to enter backyards even if no one was at the house. This was usual ly easy, but i f the gates were locked, the policy was not to risk injury by climbing fences. Instead, a plastic bag contain-ing fish, and arranged to open

on impact, was lobbed over the fence and into the pool.

Fish were introduced to 1,278 un-maintained pools by September 2006. In October, f ield teams began returning to pools to check on the fish where they had already been introduced. Assessments were based on seeing fish or their characteristic ripples. As winter set in, some of the inspections re-vealed no fish, which could have been due to inactivity with pool temperatures as low as 11 ºC. Various fish traps and nets were used to check the pools for fish, but we never found a completely reliable assessment method for the winter. The following spring, quality control tests were run with each inspection crew to assess the presence or absence of fish in pools that were independently known to contain fish or not. They confirmed visual assessment to be completely reliable outside the winter season.

By September 2007, the inspec-tions extended to 600 pools that received fish the previous year, and 86% of those pools contained fish. Gambusia were reintroduced to pools where they had not sur-vived, and they were introduced to hundreds of additional pools that were newly ident i f ied as abandoned. A few pools did not receive fish in order to monitor adult mosquito populations in the surrounding area.

How effective were the fish at preventing mosquito production? Very effective, but not a hundred percent. During 5,883 pool in-spections in 2006-2008, mosquito larvae were observed in 2.2% of the pools that contained fish, compared to 36% of the pools without fish. Culex quinquefascia-tus and Anopheles (An crucians and An quadrimaculatus) were most common. Cx quinquefascia-tus larvae were seen throughout

Figure 1: Aerial photos showing the same swimming pools before Hurricane Katrina (top) and after Katrina (bottom). The clean swimming pools before Katrina are turquoise; the unmaintained swimming pools after Katrina are brown. Source: Pictometry.


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the year in pools without f i sh. They were sometimes very nu-merous, though less common during the summer; see Figure 2. Anopheles larvae were also observed throughout the year, but their numbers were seldom large. Culiseta inornata could be very numerous during November to March, Cx salinarius during November to May, and Cx coro-nator during July to November.

Most la r vae in pools wi th f i sh we re Anopheles , somet imes present even when f i sh were abundant. Cx quinquefasciatus were observed only where fish numbers were low. Other mos-quito species were almost never seen in pools with fish.

In 2007, we initiated a research p ro g ra m to h e l p g u i d e t h e operational program. It was en-couraging that so many pools had fish after the introductions in 2006, but we needed to understand why fish were missing from 14% of those pools. We wanted to know:

• Did the fish fai l to take hold in some of the pools to which they were introduced? Was this stil l a problem for introductions underway?

• Did f i sh take ho ld af te r in -troduction, but drop out of the pools later? Were they continuing to disappear from pools in which they were established?

• Was there st i l l a fish survival problem in the pools?

• How were ecological condi-tions in the pools affecting larval abundance, f ish abundance, and the effectiveness of fish for larval control?

We monitored a selection of pools for an extended period after intro-ducing fish. We also conducted experiments to address specific concerns. For example, it was not unusual to see empty bleach bot t les because people had dumped bleach in a dirty pool to “clean it up.” However, bleach could wipe out the fish and other aquatic predators, converting a pool into prime mosquito habi-tat if left unmaintained. To gain perspect ive, we poured fou r

Figure 3: A pool treated experimentally with bleach to see its impact on the fish population. Fish normally thrived in this pool. Dumping four gallons of bleach led to high fish mortality, but the fish population recovered within a month.

Figure 2: Seasonal frequency graph, showing the relative number of unmaintained swimming pools (without fish) in which various species of mosquito larvae were found each month, 2006 through 2008.


gallons of bleach into each of three pools with thriving Gam-busia populations, creating a chlorine concentration of 0.1-0.5 ppm. Mass ive f i sh deaths followed. No fish were observed in any of the poo l s the nex t day, but every pool had a thriv-ing population within a month, despite the fact no fish were re-introduced to those pools; see Figure 3.

W e o b s e r v e d a d i s t u r b i n g number o f pa r t ia l l y d ra ined pools with only one or two feet of water at the bottom, no fish, and numerous mosquito larvae. The owners had drained the pools, k i l l ing al l the f ish and leaving the pools to col lect rainwater after that. If the pool contained much trash, the organic pollution could be particularly severe in shal low water, creat ing ideal habitat for Cx quinquefasciatus. Because wel l - intent ioned but counterproductive homeowner interventions were a problem, a sign was left at every inspected swimming pool informing the owner that the pool was under Mosquito Control management, u rg ing the owner not to add chemicals that could injure the fish, and requesting the owner to notify Mosquito Control if the pool was drained or filled in.

The research program included systematic data collection with regard to physical condit ions, water quality, trash (eg, wood, furniture, and other household goods), leaves and branches, aquat ic vegetat ion, aquat ic insect predators, mosquito larvae, and fish at several hundred swim-ming pools. A temperature range of 11-35 ºC, a pH range of 6-9, and a salinity range of 0.1-10 ppt observed in the various pools over the course of a year were comfortably within the published tolerances for Gambusia. We sus-pected that high concentrations

Figure 4: The turbid, foul-smelling water of the “severe organic pollution” ecotype provided particularly favorable habitat for Cx quinquefasciatus larvae. Gambusia tolerated low oxygen in this ecotype but suffered if ammonia was high. Mieu Nguyen is inspecting the pool.

of nitrite, which is toxic to aquatic animals, could be a problem, but the fish appeared to be un-af fected at the highest nit r i te concentration observed (2 ppm). Toxic chlorine concentrations were observed on a few occasions.

The data revealed four main swimming pool ecotypes. Some pools fell clearly within a single ecotype, while others displayed the characteristics of more than one. (Swimming pool photos were taken by Cynthia Harrison.)

Figure 5: This above-ground swimming pool displays the turbid water characteristic of the “severe organic pollution” ecotype.


Figure 6: The “ecologically productive without pollution” ecotype supported large populations of aquatic insects and provided favorable habitat for Anopheles larvae, which avoided fish predation by clinging to floating pine needles, floating sticks, or grass around the edge of a pool.

Katrina, with the pollution declin-ing gradually after that, so it was much less noticeable by the third year. Fi sh general ly prov ided effective mosquito control in this ecotype, except when organic loading was extreme. We were particularly concerned about the low oxygen concentrations and high levels of ammonia that could accompany organic pollution. It turned out that oxygen was not a problem. Gambusia thrived in many pools with no measurable oxygen. However, high ammonia concentrations of 10-40 ppm, though rare in occurrence, were distinctly associated with smaller fish populations.

2. Eco log ica l l y p roduc t i ve without pollution; see Figure 6. This ecotype lacked the putrid condi t ions and numerous Cx quinquefasciatus larvae so char-acteristic of organically polluted pools. These pools were some-what saline, suggesting that they had been flooded with brackish water from Lake Pontchartrain. Aquatic insects such as water boatmen, dragonfly nymphs, and water s t r iders were of ten abundant, along with Anoph-eles and Cx salinarius larvae. Condi t ions favorable for one seemed favorable for all. Gam-busia d id wel l in th is ecotype and el iminated Culex larvae, but Anopheles larvae frequently coexisted in small numbers with the fish, apparently because the larvae could avoid fish preda-tion by clinging to floating pine needles, small floating sticks, or grass around the edge of a pool.

3. Oak leaves; see Figure 7. Pools with a large number of oak leaves, and distinctively brown water from tannins in the leaves, provided favorable habitat for Culex and Anopheles la r vae and wate r boatmen. Gambusia survived in this ecotype, but their popula-tions were generally low. Mosquito

1. Severe organic pollution; see Figures 4 and 5. Turbid and foul-smelling water, associated with fallen tree branches, trash, and other rotting materials, provided

par t icular ly favorable habitat for Cx quinquefasciatus larvae when there were no fish in a pool. Th is ecotype was par t icu lar ly common during the first year after

Figure 7: The “oak leaves” ecotype provided favorable habitat for Culex and Anopheles larvae, but supported relatively few fish. A Mosquito Control sign with information for homeowners is in the background.

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Figure 8: The “floating algal mats” ecotype supported few mosquito larvae. Fish thrived when introduced to this ecotype.

larvae were sometimes observed when fish were in a pool.

4. Floating algal mats; see Figure 8. Dense mats of f i lamentous algae were most prominent in the summer, sometimes almost completely covering a pool. The clear water, shaded by the mats, supported few mosquito larvae even in the absence of fish. Back-swimmers and diving beetles were often common if fish were not present. Fish thrived in this eco-type, and mosquito larvae were virtually absent if fish were present.

Why were fish missing from 14% of the pools to which they were int roduced in 2006? Some of the introductions during 2006 simply failed to take hold in the first place. Dumping bleach was counterproductive, and draining pools could wipe out the fish, but this was not happening on a scale to explain so many pools without fish. While some pools were prob-ably too polluted in 2006 for fish to survive, we concluded that the main problem was trauma during transpor t from holding tank to pool. The pace was intense, and the fish sometimes appeared in poor condition (swimming at a slant and moving erratically) when poured from the plastic bag into a pool, particularly if it was hot and they had been in the bag for the entire day. The success rate of Gambusia introductions during 2006 improved with experience. While 84% percent of the pools to which f ish were introduced during the first two months of the program still had fish when next in-spected, this measure of success increased month by month to 95% for pools receiving introduc-tions late in the year. By 2007-2008 the pollution had declined signifi-cantly, and the smaller number of introductions at that time allowed more carefu l at tent ion to the fish, including rapid transport to pools. Every monitored Gambusia

introduction during 2007-2008 led to a thriving population within a month – an introduction success rate of 100% – and the population in every pool lasted for as long as the pool contained water.

Experience with the swimming pools taught us some lessons that could be of use to others for disaster readiness planning. For example, it is best to l ine up a re l iab le source of f i sh in ad-vance. It took us several months to track down a supply for such large-scale use.

We also used larvicides, mainly VectoLex, to suppress mosquito production until the fish took over. VectoLex does not kill Anopheles larvae but is known for its effec-tiveness and residual capacity against Culex. We could count on a single VectoLex application to kill all the Culex and Culiseta larvae in a swimming pool within a day or two. However, the re-sidual period in such deep water was l imited because Bacil lus sphaericus eventual ly sank to the bottom while the mosquito

larvae fed mainly at the top. We found that VectoLex reliably killed all new larvae for only a few days after application, though com-plete kill extended for as much as 10 days in pools with heavy organic loading.

Locating swimming pools was a chal lenge when searching th rough a hundred thousand houses in a city devoid of resi-dent s ove r a reas ex tend ing for miles. The Pictometry aerial photo sys tem, Google Ear th, and real estate l ist ing records proved invaluable for tabulat-ing the addresses of houses with pools. Up-to-date photos showed whether pools were maintained.

Cleaning trash out of pools was basic habitat management be-cause organic detr i tus fueled the food web leading to mos-quito larvae. Putrid conditions, which could last for more than a year if not corrected, were ideal for Culex larvae and stressful for fish. Trash of any kind provided refuge for Anopheles larvae to evade predators.


Healthy fish were a key to success-ful introduction. Careful handling, limiting the transport time from holding tanks to swimming pools to a few hours, and watching for signs of stress were important. At first, we transported the fish in a separate plastic bag for each pool, but later we stopped using the plastic bags, transporting all the fish for one trip together in a large cooler. It saved work, and the fish arrived in good condition.

Use of the media for clear com-munication with the public about what was happening and what was expected from the public helped pave the way for recon-naissance and fish-introduction teams. Wherever we introduced fish, we posted a sign with key in-formation for homeowners. Access to properties was a concern when residents were not at home and gates were locked. The legal basis for access should be clear, and the public should be thoroughly informed about policies and pro-cedures in this regard.

Sys temat ic records were es -sential. They can be simple. At every visit we recorded the state of pool maintenance, whether f i sh were al ready in the pool, whether larvicide was applied to the pool at the time of the visit, whether f ish were introduced, and whether there were mos-quito larvae in the pool. If there were larvae, we took a standard number of dips and a sample for identification. The number of pools without fish after the intro-ductions in 2006 caught us by surprise. Particularly at the begin-ning of a program, pools should be checked about a month after f ish introduction to make sure they contain viable populations.

Non-profit organizations can offer exceptional flexibility for provid-ing resources and other forms of assistance after a disaster. Volun-

teers were particularly important for an enterprise of this scale. Careful supervision and training of volunteers was essential because volunteer turnover was often high, most volunteers had no experi-ence with this kind of work, and the calamitous conditions after Katrina hindered orderly opera-tions. The general practice was to have a Mosquito Control staff person working directly alongside volunteers at all times.

Organizational self-sufficiency helped to get things done under chaotic conditions. Coordination with other agencies was neces-sary and beneficial, but it was not wise to be totally dependent. Although other City agencies had to focus on their own post-Katrina priorities, we were fortunate to re-ceive valuable assistance from state and federal sources.

In conclusion, the fish introduc-tions were well worth the effort. It was a strenuous couple of years, but ultimately satisfying for ev-eryone involved. Using mosquito larvae in unmaintained swimming pools without fish as an indicator of adult mosquito populations, 53% pe rcent o f those poo l s contained larvae during March-August 2006, when fish were not yet established in many of the pools. This figure dropped to find-ing larvae in only 8% of pools w i thout f i sh dur ing the same months in 2007 and 6% in 2008, indicating a dramatic decrease in adult mosquito populations from 2006 to 2007-2008. There was a surge in West Nile virus after Hurri-cane Katrina, 12 cases in Orleans Parish in 2006 compared to the one or two cases during the two years preceding Katrina. West Nile virus dropped to two cases per year in 2007-2008 and no cases have been reported since then.

Whi le many of the swimming pools that needed emergency

fish introductions in 2006 are now maintained by their owners or have been filled in, fish still provide mosquito control in approximately 600 of those pools. Additional unmaintained pools have come into the system in recent years due to home mortgage foreclosures and other causes unrelated to Hurricane Katrina. Further details about this story and the research program can be found at www.gerrymarten.com/swimmingpoolsneworleans.html.

Gerald MartenAdjunct Senior Fellow

[email protected] Center

Honolulu, HI 96848

Cynthia HarrisonMosquito Control Specialist

[email protected]

Mieu NguyenMosquito Control [email protected]

Stephen SackettResearch Entomologist

[email protected]

Gregory ThompsonEntomologist

[email protected]

Michael CarrollResearch Entomologistand Director Emeritus

[email protected]

Claudia RiegelDirector

[email protected]

City of New Orleans Mosquito, Termite & Rodent Control Board

2100 Leon C Simon DriveNew Orleans, LA 70122

504-658-2400

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In a previous Wing Beats article (Vol 21, No 4), the Washoe County Health District Vector-Borne Dis-eases Program prov ided the process and steps of establishing regulations that allow for design standards on new publ ic and private development projects to eliminate mosquito colonization. This article describes requirements established by the Vector-Borne Diseases Program (VBDP) in col-l a b o ra t i o n w i t h Co m mu n i t y Development Depar tments in Reno, Sparks and Washoe County used during review and approval of retention basins, channels, landscape improvements, ponds, wetlands and catch basins to reduce the impact of nuisance insects, including mosquitoes.

Instead of reacting to mosquito issues caused by poorly designed development projects, our ap-proach is to collaboratively work with planners and civil engineers to establish better designs based on regulations to minimize the nuisance and public health risks associated with mosquitoes.

Detention basins are required by local government to store water runoff from large storm events in order to reduce down stream flooding. If not designed prop-erly, these areas provide an ideal larval habitat for nuisance insects. To alleviate this, the VBDP requires a cobble line (4-6 inch rock) low flow channel between the inlet(s) and outlet pipe. This allows water

flow that often occurs from over water ing landscape to t r ick le through these facilities without re-ducing the capacity of the basin to handle large storm events.

Moreover, an infi ltration trench 2 feet w ide and 3 feet deep (depending on so i l p rof i le) i s constructed below the low flow channel between the inlet and outlet pipe to provide additional infiltration. VDBP also requires no vegetation plantings within one foot of the low flow channel. Spe-cific maintenance language is provided to Homeowners Asso-ciations (HOAs) and Landscape Maintenance Associations (LMAs) to maintain the basins annually. For retention basins we require the

Designing Infrastructure to Eliminate Mosquito Colonizationby Jim Shaffer

Figure 1: The paver tray system for catch basins.


same designs for infiltration, main-tenance and a low flow channel constructed from the inlet to the length of the basin since there is no outlet in these facilities.

The program is a strong propo-nent of Low Impact Development (LID) designs that have been used in Reno, Sparks and Washoe County under the guidance of the Truckee Meadows Storm Water Permit Coordinating Commit-tee. Low Impact Development is storm water management mod-eled so runoff from rainfall and urban uses is captured, filtered, stored, detained and infiltrated at its source. Features such as bio swales, rain gardens and curb cuts to landscape areas captures and infiltrates water runoff, reduc-ing these waters from entering the hard infrastructure system. When LID plans are distributed to our program, infiltration systems are added for additional percolation.

Typically, new drainage channels are designed to be constructed as flat bottom channels in Reno,

Sparks and Washoe County. Over t ime wi th l i t t le maintenance, these channels bui ld up sedi-ment and lose their constructed grade resulting in water “pond-ing.” To avoid this, the program requires a low flow channel which allows water to flow through the facility while having the capac-ity to accommodate large storm events. Depending on the project and who is responsible for main-taining the structure, the low flow channel is lined with cobble rock (4-6 inch rock).

Landscape designs that contain turf for residential and commercial common areas are required to have an 18 inch xeriscape buffer from the back face of side walk or other impermeable surfaces. Over watering turf during the summer months creates nuisance water to enter this landscape buffer and infiltrates as opposed to run-ning down the curb and ponding in catch basins. If a curb exists without a sidewalk the buffer is the same 18 inches. The VBDP also directs the landscape architect

to place a wind sensor control unit at the site in which the irriga-tion system shuts off when the wind exceeds a specified speed reducing nuisance water runoff.

Ponds provide an aesthetic fea-ture in new developments and can be used to capture storm water runoff. They afford habitat for non-biting nuisance midges, which the VBDP has no pesticide material to combat. As a control measure, ponds are constructed with a fountain aerator or multiple aerators and operated daily for two hours in the morning and eve-ning annually from April through October. The agitat ion of the surface water from the aerators discourages adult female mos-quitoes and midges from laying their eggs. The aerators improve water quality by preventing algae and weed formation by oxygen-ating the water through mixing. Our program also requires cobble rock placed two feet below and two feet above the mean water l ine. This reduces weed growth used as habitat for mosquito and

Figure 2: Landscape xericape buffer to reduce water runoff in catch basins.


midges while minimizing the bur-rowing of rodents.

In addition, our program devel-oped a wetland model design us ing a meander ing low f low channel in which storm water runoff from development flows through the wetland. Ponds can be constructed and connected to the low flow channel with water flowing into and exiting the pond through the meandering channel system. Forebays are constructed below the out fal l pipes which capture sediment, debris and urban l it ter from development d ischarges f rom enter ing the wetlands. Included in our wet-land design are native plants associated with our high desert env i ronment p lanted on the upland slopes. Our experience in wetlands is if an unmanaged monoculture, such as perennial pepper weed (Lepidium latifo-lium) and/or cattails (Typha spp)

is al lowed to exist, it out com-petes a desirable and diversity of plant species creating an envi-ronment conducive to mosquito development.

The Cities of Reno, Sparks and Washoe County Community De-velopment require rockery walls and mechan ica l l y a rmor ing slopes to stabilize hillsides as de-velopment moves off the valley floor. The Vector-Borne Diseases Program has standards for rock-ery walls, by filling the voids with smaller rock in the rockery wall for the entire height. For s lope stabilization of hil l sides, mixed aggregate rock is placed in the voids to a depth of 3 inches. With plague endemic in Washoe County, these design standards also discourages void formation for rodent habitat.

The VBDP began a collaborative effort with Washoe County Com-

munity Development and Jensen Precast to design new as well as retrofitting existing catch basins/ drop inlets (DIs) that improves water quality and at the same time prevents the colonization by mosquitoes. Our first design was developed in 2008 with Jensen Precast modifying the basin by placing 1 inch diameter weep holes on the side walls and end walls of the DIs. As water enters the basin from the curb i t wi l l weep out through the one inch diameter holes in the basin, elimi-nating any standing water in the sump. Unfortunately, our design was not approved by Reno and Sparks because the weep hole catch basin was considered an injection well by definition of the Nevada Department of Environ-mental Protection (NDEP).

In 2009 work began with Washoe Count y and Xe r ipave wh ich manufactures pervious pavers to

Figure 3: Our design standard of a cobble line low flow channel for detention/retention basins.


Jim ShafferPlanner

[email protected] Diseases

Prevention ProgramWashoe County Health District Environmental Health Services

1001 E 9th StreetReno, NV 89512775-785-4599

eliminate the amount of debris, organic matter and pollution by collecting this material below the grate and on the pavers while prevent ing th i s mater ia l f rom enter ing water ways that f low directly to the Truckee River. We initiated demonstration projects with Washoe County and Reno test ing for sediment clogging a n d u s i n g a w a t e r t r u c k to simulate large storm events to determine if the Xeripave Tray S ys tem met Washoe Count y hydrological s tandards. Over a two year per iod the test ing culminated in the Xeripave Tray System design being placed in the Washoe County Hydrology Manual. The Xeripave installed below the ex i s t ing grate and above the outfall pipe prevents access for adult mosquitoes. As a result of the demonstration p ro j e c t s , t h e Ve c t o r - B o r n e Diseases Program is requiring this retrofit in catch basins.

With our review of new develop-ments through the Community Development process, what as-surances do we have that our design standards are constructed as required on the civil/building plans? In 2009 we developed a Compliance Inspection Hand-book that contains our design standards to initiate on site com-pliance. As contractors work on the project, they contact VBDP for a compliance inspection, which allows us to examine their work to ensure standards established for public and private infrastructure construction are followed.

When the Vector-Borne Diseases Program regulations were ap-proved in 2002, l i t t le d id we rea l i ze the pos i t i ve ef fects i t wou ld have on inf ras t ructu re through our planning in Commu-nity Development. It is through these designs that the citizens of Washoe County have benefited.

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From Where I Sit: Notes from the AMCATechnical Advisor by Joe Conlon

Efforts to obtain a Senate floor vote on HR 872, the “Reduc-ing Regulatory Burdens Act of 2011” continue apace. As you a re awa re, Senato r Ba rba ra B oxe r (D - C A) , p reve n t i n g a debate and a floor vote on the measure, has put this bipar t i -san piece of legis lat ion on a procedural hold. Senator Harry Reid (D-NV), the Senate Major-ity Leader, has not decided, as yet, to schedule a vote and is not l ikely to unti l a majorit y of the Senate Democrat Caucus, to whom he is beholden, de-cides that a vote is needed. A bipar t isan let ter, s igned by 14 Republ ican and 11 Democrat senators, urging Senator Reid to bring HR 872 to a vote has been, to date, to no avail.

A number of efforts to engage Senator Boxer, encouraging her to release her “hold” on the bill have met with some success. In a classic move that got inside Senator Boxer’s “decision loop,” Deborah Bass, from the Contra Cos ta M osqu i to and Vecto r Control D is t r ict, penned a re-lease call ing into question the procedural hold that was picked up by local news media. Once published, it went viral through social network ing media. This was a beaut i fu l i l lus t rat ion of the power of social media to shape strategy and should be a lesson to us all in harnessing this means of rapid communication to promulgate our message. The resultant Twit ter posts were evidently noted by Boxer’s staff and a rebut tal by the Senator was posted in the local Contra Costa newspaper.

Unfor tunately, Senator Boxer ’s rebut ta l was f raught w i th in -accu rac ies , eg, “ EPA a l lows pesticide spraying to combat diseases such as the West Nile virus, and no change in federal law is requi red to ensure that the public is protected. In fact, EPA allows immediate spraying of pesticides to address public health emergencies even with-out a permit. I believe we must protect public health as our top pr ior i t y, and current law does jus t that.” Seek ing to cor rect these inaccurate s tatements conce rn ing HR 872, I sent a let ter to the editor that stated the facts of the case. I t was not printed. Fortunately, during the AMCA Annual Conference in Austin, the init iative to have an accurate rebut tal to Sena-tor Boxer’s assertions was taken up by the AMCA Board of D i -rectors and I met with Thomas Buckley, a trustee having com-munications experience, and we penned the fo l low ing fo r publ icat ion in the Deser t Sun Times in Palm Springs, Senator Boxer’s new residence:

“One year ago, a b i l l de-s igned to help protect the public from mosquito-borne diseases l ike West Nile and En c e p h a l i t i s p a s s e d t h e House of Representatives with broad bipartisan support. The same bill, known as HR 872 (the Reducing Regula tor y Burdens Act of 2011) already has broad bipartisan support in the Senate. So why has this bill – a bill that will save lives and save tax dollars to boot – not been made into law yet?

Three words: Senator Barbara Boxer.

Despite the pledges of support for the bill’s passage through t he Sena te o f s ig n i f ica nt majority of her colleagues – Democrat and Republican – Senator Boxer has sad ly blocked the bill from reach-ing the Senate floor for either a debate or a vote.

The bill itself is not complex – it simply codifies the regu-latory practices which have been adhered to by public h e a l t h m o s q u i t o c o n t ro l agencies across the country for decades. The bill specifi-cally exempts public health agencies from having to get a costly and restrictive NPDES (National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System) permit in order to apply life saving in-secticides. The compounds currently used by mosquito control agencies to eliminate mosqui toes (the deadl ies t animal on the planet, actu-ally) are already thoroughly investigated and vet ted for sa fe t y a nd e f f i ca cy by a whole host of state and fed-eral agencies; demanding that public health agencies essentia l ly get yet another piece of paper (an expen-s i ve p ie c e o f p a p e r – a t least $500,000 per year in Ca l i fo rn ia a lone) tha t wi l l not actually protect a single species or a single acre of habitat is not only pointless but also a particularly glar-ing example of duplicative federal regulatory overreach.


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So why the hold up? Sena-tor Boxer suggest s that no change in Federal law – ie, the passage of 872 – is neces-sary to protect public health. In reality, though, federal law was changed by a court de-cision that occurred over 3 years ago and altered the clear Congress ional intent that had been in place since the early 1970s. The passage of 872 would essentially reit-erate the original intent and continue the longstanding and proven safe practices.

The bi l l not only has broad su ppo r t i n Cong res s , bu t overwhelming publ ic sup-port. Organizations from the American Mosquito Control Association to the National Association of Farm Bureaus have been working doggedly to ensure its passage, only to

come up against this seem-ingly inexplicable opposition. Th is int rans igence has not only held up the actual vote on the bi l l, but i t has even blocked any Senate debate on the issue.

We urge the public to learn m o re a b o u t t h e b i l l a n d talk to their elected repre-sentatives about it (you can “Goog le” HR 872 o r go to www.mosquito.org for more information).

We would also urge the Sen-ator – whom we know shares our concern for the health of our citizens and the envi-ronment – to reconsider her position and allow those of us in the public health field to get back to doing what we do best – protecting the public.”

Joseph ConlonNational Technical Advisor [email protected]

The more we can force Sena-tor Boxer to respond to publ ic comment, the more l ight can be shed on the issue and the more pressure can eventual ly be brought to have her release the “hold” – at least that ’s the strategy. In this way, we seize the initiative, controll ing the narra-tive. Hopefully, this will become enough of an i r r i tant to force some movement on the issue, or at least compel a public dis-cussion wherein both sides can explain their rationales. We’ll see.

At any rate, ambiguities about t h e p e rm i t re m a i n , d e s p i te EPA’s attempt to explain them. For ins tance, appl icators are s t i l l unsure as to whether ap-plying mosquitocides in a ditch


Joseph M ConlonAMCA Technical Advisor

[email protected] Millbrook Court

Fleming Island, FL 32003904-215-3008

connected to a body of water or applications of pesticides to an intermit tent stream when it i s dry requi res an NOI (Not ice of Intent). According to EPA, the answer is “no” in both instances.

Nonetheless, concerns remain because o f seve ra l Agency initiatives involving potential in-creases in of numbers and types of waters subject to Clean Water Act ju r i sd ict ion. For ins tance, The House Science, Space, and Technology Committee has just asked the Environmental Protec-t ion Agency to prov ide more information about an EPA draft study of biological, chemical and physical connections be-tween ephemeral, perennial, and in te rm i t tent wate r s and wetlands and larger navigable waters. Th is s tudy is being re-v iewed at the same t ime the White House Office of Manage-ment and Budget (OMB) has begun reviewing Clean Water Protection Guidance, which was developed jo int ly by EPA and the US Army Corps of Engineers to c la r i f y t he scope o f fed -eral protection over US waters. As proposed in May 2011, the guidance would expand fed-eral jurisdiction and permitting requirements to include many i n te rm i t tent and ephemera l streams and wetlands not cov-e red. Such OMB rev iews a re generally required to be com-pleted with in 90 days but the f i na l gu idance cou ld be re -leased within the next 30 days.

The guidance, craf ted jo int ly w i th the A rmy Corps of Eng i -neers, is expected to generally expand CWA jur i sdict ion over t r i b u t a r i e s t o t r a d i t i o n a l l y nav igab le wa te r s , wet lands ad jacent to those t r ibutar ies and other marginal waters by offering a new interpretation of when discharges to these waters are subject to regulation. The

proposed joint guidance was i s sued a f te r yea r s o f confu -s ion over how to interpret two US Supreme Cour t deci s ions on what const i tutes waters of t he U n i ted S ta te s a nd a f te r previous guidance attempted to interpret these cases [Sol id Waste Agency of Northern Cook County v US Army Corps of En-gineers (SWANCC), 531 US 159, 51 ERC 1838 (2001); Rapanos v United States, 547 US 715, 62 ERC 1481 (2006)]. Justice Antonin Scalia stated that only “relatively permanent ” waters that hold a “cont inuous sur face connec-tion” to a traditionally navigable water of the United States can be cons idered ju r i sd ict ional, whereas Justice Anthony Ken-nedy opined that waters sharing a “s ignificant nexus” with juris-dictional water bodies can be subject to CWA regulations as wel l. As you can see, it needs clarification and, in my view, a narrow interpretation.

M udd y i ng t he wa te r s , so to speak, even fu r ther i s the re -ma r ka b l e va r i a t i o n i n s ta te permits when compared to the EPA Pest icide Genera l Permit (PGP) . Th i s may p rove p rob -l emat i c i f l ega l cha l l eng es are forthcoming. According to Rebeckah Adcock, senior d i -rector of government affairs for CropLife America, if a citizen’s lawsu i t a l leges that a s tate ’s permit is not the equivalent of the PGP, the EPA has indicated that “ tha t ’s you r pe rmi t and you’re going to have to defend it.” She thinks it wil l take longer than the February 29 beginning of enforcement for suits to sur-face, and I agree, “because the activist community wil l want to seek out states and/or patterns in a par t icular case that work most in their favor.”

As of the date of th i s wr i t ing, Charles Tebbut t, the at torney

whose suit forced EPA to issue the permit, would not indicate whether he or other env i ron-menta l i s t s w i l l sue e i ther the states, districts or EPA. Neverthe-less, Tebbutt has stated that “…the EPA pesticide permit is very weak, and say at this point very much favors industry.” Tebbutt remains unconvinced that in-creased resource requirements to meet the NPDES mandates wil l adversely affect the provi-sion of vector control services, echoing other activists opinions that says those fears are base-less. Pest control methods are broader than pesticide appli-cation, he says, and in cases where pest control districts have been compel led to l imit thei r use of pesticides, the impacts on human health or the spread of disease have been negligi-ble. “The whole thing with West Nile virus and the ability to spray or not is really just fear monger-ing,” Tebbutt said. “Again, this is the chemical industry driving the process so they don’t lose sales, is the basic fact here.”

Welcome to the activist mindset and rationale for imposition of the NPDES. You’d bet ter hope and work to see that HR 872 gets debated and passed, for activist attorneys wil l no doubt inexorably push for increasingly restr ictive regulation – and ju-d icia l inte rpretat ions are the means to get it.

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of the Florida Mosquito Control Associationwingbeats.floridamosquito.org/Wingbeats/pdfs/Vol23No1.pdf · fact, the southeastern United States, and Florida in particular, are home to