Collier Mosquito Control District Naples, Florida, United States
Abstract: Collier Mosquito Control District serves a population of approximately 300,000 residents in southwest Florida. In recent years, Collier and its surrounding counties have experienced outbreaks of not only West Nile virus, which is endemic to the area, but also dengue and Zika viruses. Unfortunately, many local populations of vector species Culex quinquefasciatus and Aedes aegypti are resistant to pyrethroids, and one Ae. aegypti population has also exhibited resistance to naled, which has left the District with limited adulticide options for these vector strains.
The new adulticide VBC-60748 presented a possible alternative. This product combines a fatty acid, the pyrethroid fenpropathrin, and abamectin, a macrocyclic lactone that has a different mode of action than pyrethroids and organophosphates. To evaluate the efficacy of this product against pyrethroid-resistant vectors, the District performed a series of semi-field trials. Local Cx. quinquefasciatus and Ae. aegypti adults were placed in field cages and challenged with a ground-based ULV application of VBC-60748. Preliminary trial results indicated that VBC-60748 successfully controlled pyrethroid-resistant vector strains and shows promise as an effective option for the District’s integrated mosquito management program.
