How using mosquito traps can improve your service
By DR. STAN COPE
 Pest management companies continue to add mosquito services to their offerings, with impressive results. There are several components to an effective integrated mosquito management (IMM) program, one of which is the use of traps.
There are many kinds of mosquito traps available, each designed to do different things. And although they may appear to be simple devices, the science behind them can be fairly sophisticated. If you are thinking about adding mosquito traps as part of your service, be sure to discuss options with your distributor, supplier or technical specialist to ensure a good fit for your program.
The vast majority of traps attract and capture either:
• host-seeking female mosquitoes looking to acquire a bloodmeal to produce eggs, or
• gravid female mosquitoes, which are those that have already taken a bloodmeal and are looking for a standing water source in which to lay eggs.
TRAP USE AND BENEFITS
- Pre-service monitoring and population assessment. Prior to any treatments, traps can be run for a few nights simply to evaluate the mosquito population. Also, traps can help identify "hot spots," especially on large residential properties or commercial accounts such as golf courses, housing complexes or parks. Mosquitoes are not randomly distributed on a property, and traps can help define key habitats.
- Identification of mosquito species. Different species have different aspects of their biology that affect our ability to control them. Examples include flight range, type of water in which they breed, and time of day at which they feed. Knowing the habits of "the enemy" improves the odds of successful control. Samples of mosquitoes can be sent to a local mosquito abatement district or university extension service for identification.
- Service evaluation. In other words, is your IMM plan working? Using traps can help answer that question.
- Indicator of missed breeding sites. For example, the flight range of both the yellow fever mosquito (Aedes aegypti) and the Asian tiger mosquito (A. albopictus) is usually less than 100 yards. If you are catching adult mosquitoes of either species in your traps, there is probably a breeding site or two that you haven't found on the customer's property.
- Mosquito population reduction. Traps used as part of a solid IMM program can be very effective in helping to reduce mosquito populations of what we call "backyard container breeders," particularly those of the yellow fever and the Asian tiger mosquito species. More on this later.
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There are several factors to consider when selecting a trap, including use patterns (commercial vs. residential), target species, types of attractants used, the trap's killing mechanism, energy requirements, and cost. Again, consult with your distributor, supplier, or technical specialist for more information.
Catchmaster's Autocidal Gravid Ovitraps (AGOs), known as the Ovi-Catch™ and the Ovi-Planter™, offer many impressive features:
- Backed by peer-reviewed science.
- Glue-based captures that contain no pesticides.
- Ideal for sensitive accounts such as schools, daycare facilities, etc.
- Durable design that require no power source.
- Easy to assemble and service; fit monthly service model.
- Trapping just one female prevents up to 1,000 future mosquitoes.
- Trapping just 30 percent of egg-laying females can reduce the population up to 80 percent.
- Recognized by the Federal Laboratory Consortium for Excellence in Technology Transfer, 2021.
- May indicate breeding sites missed during inspections.
Using traps as part of your IMM program can save you time and money, as well as make you money. They will also help reduce the environmental impact by emphasizing the judicious use of pesticides. What's not to like?
Stanton E. Cope, Ph.D. is vice president of technical products and services for AP&G (Catchmaster). He is a former president of the American Mosquito Control Association and a retired captain of the U.S. Navy.
PMP's Direct To You provides pest management professionals with educational refreshers on timely and critical topics essential to operational success. This content is not be used as a substitute for obtaining legal advice from an attorney licensed to practice where you live. Look for the content-rich PMP Direct To You archives at mypmp.net/direct-to-you-archive.
This newsletter was produced by North Coast Media's content marketing staff in collaboration with Catchmaster.
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