EVALUATION OF AN AREA-WIDE, TRUCK MOUNTED APPLICATION OF FFAST BTI IN MONMOUTH COUNTY, NJ

Sean Healy¹, Taryn Crepeau¹, George Condon⁴, Ary Farajollahi², Gregory Williams³, Randy Gaugler⁴, Dina Fonseca⁴

¹Monmouth County Mosquito Extermination Commission, 1901 Wayside Road, Tinton Falls, NJ 07724; ²Mercer County Mosquito Control, 300 Scotch Rd, West Trenton, NJ 08628; ³Hudson Regional Health Commission, 595 County Ave., Bld. 1, Secaucus, NJ 07094; ⁴Center for Vector Biology, Rutgers University, 180 Jones Ave, New Brunswick, NJ 08901

Sean.Healy@co.monmouth.nj.us

ABSTRACT

Aedes albopictus, commonly referred to as the Asian tiger mosquito, was first discovered in New Jersey in 1995 in the Raritan Bayshore municipality of Keyport in Monmouth County. Since that time it has proliferated throughout much of Monmouth County and New Jersey and is one of the primary nuisance mosquitoes. Larval habitats for this mosquito typically range in size from a plastic cup to a water filled boat cabin and are abundant throughout most neighborhoods. Investigations have been underway to evaluate the use of truck-mounted cold aerosol generators as a means to efficiently and effectively dispense larvicides to treat these cryptic larval habitats. Truck mounted applications of FFAST Bti were conducted in August of 2012, to a suburban neighborhood, in Middletown Township. The applications were made with the Adapco Guardian 190 ES cold aerosol generator specifically modified for this purpose. Spray cloud movement and product efficacy were evaluated using bioassay cups positioned around houses within the spray zone. Product formulation, application methodologies, and efficacy assessments will be discussed.