Residual mosquito barrier treatments on U.S. military camouflage netting in a southern California desert environment.
Treating perimeters of vegetation with residual insecticides for protection from mosquito vectors has potential for U.S. military force health protection. However, for current U.S. military operations in hot-arid environments with little or no vegetation, residual applications on portable artificial materials may be a viable alternative. We evaluated bifenthrin residual treatments of U.S. military camouflage netting under hot-arid field conditions in a desert area in southern California exposed to abundant wild Culex tarsalis mosquitoes. We assessed the ability of the treatment to reduce the numbers of mosquitoes penetrating perimeters of netting and reaching CO2-baited mosquito traps. Treated camouflage netting barriers reduced mosquitoes by > or = 50% for 7-14 days and by 20-35% for 21-28 days compared to untreated barriers. Although reductions may be translated into reductions in risk of exposure to mosquito-borne diseases, we emphasize that barrier treatments should be a component in a suite of insect control measures to be effective.
Britch
Seth C
SC
United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Center for Medical, Agricultural, and Veterinary Entomology, 1600 SW 23rd Drive, Gainesville, FL 32608, USA.
Linthicum
Kenneth J
KJ
Wynn
Wayne W
WW
Walker
Todd W
TW
Farooq
Muhammad
M
Smith
Vincent L
VL
Robinson
Cathy A
CA
Lothrop
Branka B
BB
Snelling
Melissa
M
Gutierrez
Arturo
A
Lothrop
Hugh D
HD
D000818:Animals; D002140:California; D003465:Culex; D003889:Desert Climate; D006801:Humans; D007306:Insecticides; D008889:Military Personnel; D009032:Mosquito Control / Q000379:methods*; D057147:Mosquito Nets; D011722:Pyrethrins
D007306:Insecticides; D011722:Pyrethrins; C099952:bifenthrin