110 - Implementation of Activation Thresholds at the Toledo Area Sanitary District

Abstract: Activation thresholds can be used as guidelines for mosquito management, indicating when and where mosquito control applications are warranted. Once activation thresholds have been developed and are established within an organization, surveillance data needs to be made
available to staff members in ways that are expedient and easy to interpret, especially in relation to reaching or exceeding thresholds. Moreover, the documentation of thresholds used to initiate treatments are important to maintain within record-keeping as it may give insight into ongoing or future mosquito control issues. The implementation of control in response to an activated threshold depends on a wide variety of factors such as environmental conditions, previous control activities, operational feasibility, the demand or need for treatment in other parts of the service area, and technology capabilities. The practical application of activation thresholds at the Toledo Area Sanitary
District, a mosquito control agency located in Northwest Ohio, will be discussed.