A FIELD TRIAL TO DETERMINE EFFECTIVE SWATH WIDTH DURING AERIAL
APPLICATIONS OF VECTOBAC G.
Dave Lawson and Channsotha
Suom
ABSTRACT
The Norfolk County Mosquito Control Project has
utilized a 100 foot swath width separation for helicopter aerial applications
of Vectobac G (Bacillus thuringiensis
israelensis) for many years. Since
2008, the NCMCP has tried to confirm the efficacy of the 100 ft swath
application for larval mosquito control. In April of 2010 the NCMCP, in
cooperation with JBI Helicopters Inc., conducted field trials to test the
effective swath width of Vectobac G in aerial applications. Trials in an open
field and over canopy were conducted in very light winds (<3mph).
Experimental swath widths were determined by quantifying Vectobac G granules
that landed on 6 ft x 6 ft sections on 3 separate rows of 150 ft lengths of
landscape cloth. Preliminary results suggest that an effective swath width
should be reduced from 100 feet to no more than 72 feet. Further trials and replicates are needed to
arrive at an effective swath width and to better understand the dynamics of
these applications under differing conditions.