Temperature and nutrients are the fuel for larval mosquito development. As ectotherms—relying upon ambient temperatures—the mosquito life cycle is dominated by temperature. Though the role of ambient temperature in mosquito development has likely been known to the scientific community for a half century or more, it was only recently that this knowledge led to a change in our larvicide operations to enhance control efficiency. A semi-field project in 2017 led by then newly hired STPMAD Entomologist, Nick DeLisi modeled the number of degree hours (time at certain temperatures) necessary for the southern house mosquito to develop from egg to adult. This experiment demonstrated that a larval management regime that applied larvicides at the same frequency across a mosquito season, as had been the standard practice, was over-applying insecticides during colder months and failing to control larvae in the hotter months when mosquitoes develop quicker. As a result, larviciding operations now target re-treatment intervals that are dictated by the modeled development time of the southern house mosquito.
St Tammany Mosquito Abatement
Mosquito Management
