Mosquito
Control
with Oi

Bfosquito abatement anency staflers
foday are up datng an old advertising
slogan when they call out, Quick,
Humble, the FLTY"

HHL NLO, that is—ttumble OU &
Relining Company's newest petro-
Jeum-serived larvicide that has demon-
Strated up to a idC. kill in extensive
use throughoul the US, and many
€ounties around the world.

This ts good news for the 350 or
More mosquito conwol agencies that
are lavolved in contol measures cost.
ing about $35 million a yeas. tn ace
fordance with its USDA registration,
It can be sold Only to MosquitoContro}
Diswicts, Mublic Healey Departments,
and other rover ies such.

in mony Instances, Flit MLO con bea

policd by portoble sproyer more efface

tively thon from on altptane, especially in urban Sreos, In locations where
obstructions could be o problem, of in confined oreas, such es permanently

Hooded bosements,

Since the major mosquito snecies
have been developing insecticideresis-
tant strains in the last few years, un!-
versity and industry researchers have
been testing countess materials and
methods to develop new and more ef-
fecave products for control programs.

{it was noted that mosquitoes had
never built up a resistance to petro.
feum ofls. In fact, the use of
petroleum ay 2 larvicide dates back to
1847,

Nowever, the efficacy of special
Pevoleum products for the purpose of
mosquito control was not studied und)
1964, when Humble researchers began
lavestigating possibilities.

Lat

as the miliary,

'y work was initiated to
detennine the efficacy of petroleum

In general, and specifically, the types
of motccules most effective for the
purpose. Humble began field testing
in 1967 at locations in Harris, Galves-
ton, and Jefferson countics In ‘Texas,
In Orleans and St. Bernard Parishes
in Louisiana, and in Gulf Coast coun-
Ues of Mississippl. These tests were
conducted in drainage ditches sepudc
ditches, catch basins, and sallmarshes.
in 1968, FHt MILO has used by Jack
H. Kimball, Manager of the Orange
County Mosquito Abatement Disvict
in California, ina 18-sq-mi urban area,
and provided effecdve and economical
contol of mosqitto populations. The
larvicide was tested again in 1969 ina
32-sq-mi area on a regular weatnent
Schedule that started June land ended
Oeteder 19, with applications made at
U-day intervals. Random checks after
freatucnt, with a ime lapse of 24-48
hours, showed 90-160*, kill. ‘there was
no noticeable increase in emergenceof
adult mosquitoes, and no increase in
Rumber of service requests from the
restients of this test area. It was de-
termined through these checks that by
the 12th-13th day while breeding was
evident In most areas, Ue mosquitoes
Sppeared as 90°. larvae and 10°. pupae.
A precise evaluation of theefficiency
of Flit MLO ducing one spray cycle
was made by the District Vector Ecol-
ogist, Gilbert L. Challet. Thesequence
Involved a Prespray qualitative
ting, actual spraying, 23-hour

Xu >, Oe

Flying - 0) “speeds up to 60 mph, o helicopter deposits 0 coating of Flit MLO
On woter sionding in on itigated posty Spray height varies ftom three

fo 15 fast

Dostspray sampling, and a 13-day post.
Spray sampling. ‘Me conclusions were
that (1) Flt SL.0 kills both larva
and pupa when supplied at 2 rate of
2403 gpa; aad (2) Hit MILO Provides
contol fur a period up to LY days in
Grange County,

Kased on these tests, the quantity
of Flit MLO required ta maintain satis-
factory mosquito contrat for a liday
Period within the 32-sq-m! test aren

Te et te neta er ce mean ey caneg

avernged 1.4 gat/sq mi. The spray
operator's time-averaged 1.1 hr/sq mi,

As a result, the use of Flt NLO
at the 1969 rate schedule was adopted
for this year’s season throughout the
entire 320-sq-rai urban area in Orange
County.

Preference was given to Flit MLO
for these reasons, according to Abate.
ment District Manager Kimt wl:

(1) Fit MLO eliminates any hazard
to District employees, the general
Public, and fish and wild lite; (2) It
reduces the spray-route man-hours and
vehicle mileage up tot , by increasing
the spray cycle te Hi days, Instead of
the sevenlay spray cycle required for
emulsions or granular-type larvicides,

Now docs Fit MLO rate the ace
ceptance that it has received from the
Orange County Mosquito Abatement
District?

Flit MLO ts a new material for con-
Bolling mosquitoes in all their aquatic
stages—ova, larvae, and pupae. It is
& liquid, casy to handle and requires
fo special precautions.

It has a low order of toxicity for
fish and wild life. It is less harmful
Uran diesel Suet to desirable and orna-
mental vegetation.

it is less expensive than most other
control ncasures. Compared with Paris
green, Flit MILO should represent a
material-cost szving alone of about 20%.

It can be used for ground, aerial, or
hand app! and thus is appli
for various methods of mosquite
controf.

Flit MLO has ora! mammalian toxl-
elly rating in excess of 10,006 mg/kg,
which is more than double that of the
next safest larvicide, and about $0
times as safe as some of the most
widely used larvieldes.

It does not operate through the
nervous system of larvae, but inter-
feres with normal respiration, Un-
like other larvicides, this matezial has
its most telling effect on third and
fourth instars and pupae. First and
second instars take tonger to kill. How-
ever, {t has been noted fn all species
that the growth of larvae which sur-
vived was substantially retarded; and
most larvae and pupae die teforereach-
ing adult, reproductive stares.

Now that more than 23 generations
of mosquitoes have been subjected to
Fit MLO, there has been no indica-
tion of resistance build-up. Suscept-
bility to effects of the larvicide vary
among the masor mosquito species,
and application rates have to be ad.
Justed to the varicty tequirements, and
atso to the methuds used for surface
apptication,

To hetp tn mosquito contol pro-
grams, Humble Oit has established 3
technical advisory staff, which Is avail-
able for consultation and advice to
Mosquito contol specialists for any
situation, whether it is urban, fidd,
highway, or other sitewl
toes present a problem,

ay

Reprinted from

Agrichemicel Age, dune 1970