27 - Wing Beats - Florida Mosquito Control Association

.. '
Volume 15, Number 3
of the Florida Mosquito Control Association
..
. . "'
..
An Official Publication ofthe
• \
Fall 2004

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Sticky trap with
mosquitoes on it.
six morerew members were
added to the initial four, making the
USDS project a specialty team to
target a singular source, unprecedented
within an urban district the
size of GLACVCD. The expansion
was justifiable since West
Nile virus positive mosquitoes
were discovered in the USDS
shortly after the program was
implemented. By attacking
overwintering
adult mosquito populations
in these subterranean
sources and
then continuing an intense
larvicidal program
throughout the
mosquito season, the
District aims to
achieve a threshold of
"no disease transmission"
from the USDS.
Another reason for expansion
was to conduct
effective mosquito
surveillance of
over 10,000 miles of
storm drains and
more than 90,000
catch basins, to determine
problematic
USDS, which could
not be effectively accomplished
with four
crewmembers.
Surveillance is conducted
to determine
mosquito population
densities by setting
Trash in the USDS.
Encephalitis Virus Surveillance
(EVS) baited traps placed into each
system just below the manhole
cover as well as sticky traps used
to collect adult mosquitoes. During
the program's first year, 25 miles of
mosquito surveillance and control
were performed. Now, with additional
staff, over 200 miles of USDS
are inspected monthly. The USDS
Treating the USDS.
USDS crew placing
sticky trap.
crew is trapping more frequently to
obtain and submit adult mosquitoes
for West Nile virus testing.
There are not enough data toestablish
a threshold of what is considered
low to high mosquito
populations in the USDS. From
last year's data, problem USDS
have been determined, and the crew
maintains a watchful eye
on these systems, keeping
the mosquitoes well under
control.
After surveillance is conducted
and if mosquitoes
are found in the USDS,
treatment shortly follows
by applying larvicidal control
agents, such as
Vectobac 12AS, combined
with Vectolex
WDG. The use of these
highly selective biological
larvicides will be interchanged
to prevent resistance
problems. The application
is in the form of
an aerosol/fog mist, which
is injected into the USDS
using the "LAvector/
USDS Larvicide Applicator."
This modified applicator
consists of an Amflo
Hydro blast cleaning tool
and siphon, used for highpressure
steam cleaning
of auto engines. This unit
is attached to an air com
'Jf/'"9 i$'eaU. Fall 2004 11

From where I sit. .. A number of items
of particular interest have occurred on
the legislative front since the AMCA
Washington Legislative Conference in
May.
First, a legislative aide to Senator Richard
J. Durbin (D-IL), requestedAMCA
assistance in briefing the senator on the
EPArulemaking regarding NPDES issues
that the AMCA has been pursuing
at length. This is a direct outgrowth of
Mark Newberg's (Wellmark International)
visit to the senator's office during
the recent Washington Legislative
Conference. During my phone conversations
w ith the legislative aide, it
became increasingly clear to her that
the issue was both a complicated an
important one, w ith a long and convoluted
history. After forwarding her a
number of documents meant to clarify
the issue, I received a request that I
assist in writing an issue letter for Sen.
Durbin's signature. Senator Durbin's
staff has some issues about the safety
issues surrounding pesticide use, mostly
as a result of local public health officials
being squeamish about the known
and unknown environmental effects of
insecticides. I disabused the senior legislative
aide of some of her more egregious
myths regarding the toxicology of
public health insecticides, but she still
appeared to harbor misgivings that won't
be easily dislodged by facts. Nonetheless,
Senator Durbin's office has since
forwarded the letter supporting the
NPDES exemption to EPAAdministrator
Leavitt. My thanks to Mark for soliciting
and successfully obtaining Senator
Durbin's assistance in this critical
matter. This underscores the critical
role that congressional visits can make
in the legislative process in addition to
reemphasizing the need for legislator
access to sound science.
Secondly, the U. S. Fish and W ildlife
Service (USFWS) and the National
14 Fall 2004
From Where I Sit
Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) of the
National Oceanic andAtmosphericAdministration
(NOAA), have finalized new
regulations establishing a more efficient
approach to ensure compliance with
Section 7 of the Endangered Species
Act (ESA) as part of the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency's approval
process for pest control products. The
regulation was published August 5, 2004.
The AMCA had expressed its support
of the initial proposal for the counterpart
regulation in a letter to Gary Frazer,
Assistant Director for Endangered Species,
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on
February 11 of this year.
The streamlined review procedures,
developed in cooperation with EPA and
the U.S. Department of Agriculture, w ill
provide a workable and efficient framework
to ensure necessary measures are
taken to protect fish and wildlife. At the
same time, the procedures w ill ensure
that mosquito control products will continue
to be available for use by public
health authorities. These counterpart
regulations now specify that:
· The EPA, utilizing the most sophisticated
methodologies available, can
determine that the use of a mosquito
control product is "not likely to adversely
affect" a listed species or its
critical habitat without either concurrence
of the Services or consultation.
In order to ensure EPA is making determinations
that are consistent with
the requirements of the ESA, the
Agencies are authorized to periodically
review the methodologies utilized
by EPA to arrive at these determinations.
· When formal consultation is required,
EPA may request direct involvement
of the Services in the effects
analysis. As required by law,
the Services would then make the final
determination whether threatened
or endangered species are likely to
be jeopardized by a FIFRA action.
Thirdly, after extensive consultation with
AMCA members and member agencies,
the AMCA provided comments to the
Draft Pesticide Registration (PR) Notice
2004 - XX, "Labeling Statements on
Products Used for Adult Mosquito Control."
We were aware that, although our
recommendations reflected the preponderance
of thought on the subject by
the membership, w e wouldn't please
everyone % and, indeed, we didn't. The
comments are posted on the AMCA
website and consist of our responses
to the 7 recommendations for label
changes posted by the EPA. The label
changes posited by the EPA with a brief
explanation of our comments as posted
on the website are listed below.
Recommendation 1. "For use only by
federal, state, tribal, or local government
officials responsible for public
health or vector control, or by persons
certified in the appropriate category
or otherwise authorized by the
state or tribal lead pesticide regulatory
agency to perform adult mosquito
control applications, or by persons
under their direct supervision."
AMCA: We felt that the certification
requirements for government officials
needed clarification to avoid giving
the impression that they were notrequired
(" .. . or by persons certified
... "). We also wanted it stipulated
as to whether "direct supervision"
included that via telecommunication.
Recommendation 2. Products labeled
for wide-area adult mosquito
control should not include container
labeling for uses unrelated to mosquitoes.
The standard terrestrial use
water hazard statement should not
appear on product containers labeled
solely for mosquito control. If

a container label includes non-mosquito
control use directions, those
directions and associated precautions
should be clearly distinguished
from those applicable to mosquito
control. The terrestrial use statements
on a mixed-use label should
be followed by the statement “See
separate directions and precautions
for mosquito control applications.”
AMCA: We endorsed this recommendation,
but felt that the term
“...wide-area adult mosquito control...”
gave a somewhat negative impression
and recommended it be
amended to “…both terrestrial and
aerial adult mosquito control…”
Recommendation 3. “This pesticide
is [toxic/extremely toxic] to aquatic
organisms, including [insert types of
organisms]. Runoff from treated areas
or deposition of spray droplets
into a body of water may be hazardous
to [insert types of organisms].
[If appropriate, insert any additional
wildlife hazard statements]. [Bee
precaution can be inserted here or
as a third paragraph of this section
of the label]. [Insert consultation with
state/tribal agency statement].
“Do not apply over bodies of water
(lakes, rivers, permanent streams,
natural ponds, commercial fish
ponds, swamps, marshes or estuaries),
except to target areas where
adult mosquitoes are present. Do
not contaminate bodies of water
when disposing of equipment
washwaters .”
AMCA: We made the point that modern
adulticiding utilizes extremely
small amounts of pesticides that are
drifted through an area, with little
deposition or runoff as a means to
place aquatic issues within a proper
perspective supported by scientific
fact. We felt that the [toxic/extremely
toxic] term was unduly emotive in light
of known effects from actual exposures
to labeled adulticides. Nonetheless,
in light of potential hazards
from misuse that need to be addressed
on the label, we felt that the
No Observed Adverse Effect Level
(NOAEL) on the most susceptible
listed organism would provide a reasonable
standard. The NOAEL is already
available in registrant data and
shouldn’t entail a further burden on
the registrant. We further stated that
it would make sense to express this
in terms of its relation to actual application
rates in order to quantify true
risk.
Feeling that the EPA could more tangibly
support its registration process
through the label, we suggested that
a general statement stating that the
product would not pose an unacceptable
risk if used according to label
specifications be added in lieu of the
emotive terms. Certainly, the EPA
tacitly stated this when registering the
product. Thus, the entire issue of
listed NOAELs and susceptible species
would become moot.
Recommendation 4. “Before making
the first application in a season, it
is advisable to consult with the state
or tribal agency with primary responsibility
for pesticide regulation to
determine if permits or other regulatory
requirements exist.”
AMCA: We took issue with the use
of the phrase “permits or other” because
of its possible linkage with the
NPDES issue beyond the 9 th Circuit
Courts jurisdiction.
Recommendation 5. “Equipment
should be calibrated so that no more
than [percentage to be provided by
registrant] % of the spray volume is
contained in droplets larger than 50
microns (mm) in diameter and no
more than [percentage to be provided
by registrant] % is contained
in droplets larger than 100 microns
in diameter. For aerial applications,
calibration must account for the effects
of flight speed and nozzle angle
on droplet size under application
conditions. For aerial application
equipment, directions from the
equipment manufacturer provide the
best guidance and should be used
for droplet size calibration. Droplet
size measurements made by applicators
using slides, paper, or other
surfaces should not be used in lieu
of the manufacturer’s instructions for
calibrating equipment to the required
droplet size, but should be used
regularly to ensure that equipment
is performing consistently from application
to application.”
AMCA: We found the section to be
somewhat objectionable due to its
seeming sole focus on aerial applications
and flat fan nozzles. We also
recommended that calibration instructions
be provided by either the
spray equipment’s manufacturer or
a vendor of such equipment and cited
the Fyfanon® ULV label from
Cheminova as an excellent template
for a comprehensive, informative label.
This label allows for flexibility,
while specifying relevant application
parameters such as MMD, maximum
droplet size allowed, and a range
within which two-thirds to three-quarters
of the droplets must fall. Furthermore,
the Fyfanon® ULV label provides
thorough directions for achieving
the required droplet spectra via
ground and aerial means in addition
to determining droplet size using several
different media.
Recommendation 6. “[. . . when bees
are visiting the treatment area], except
when applications are made to
prevent or control an imminent threat
to public and/or animal health declared
by state, tribal or local health
or vector control agency, or if specifically
approved by the state or
tribe during a natural disaster recovery
effort.”
AMCA: We asked that the label language
specify “[…applications to
food crops or weeds when bees are
visiting the area…]” to address a restriction
that effects mosquito control
applications more than actual bee
restrictions.
Recommendation 7. “Do not retreat
a site more than once in [X hours/
days]; no more than [Y] applications
should be made to a site in any [Z
weeks/months] or [one year]. More
frequent treatments may be made
to prevent or control an imminent
threat to public and/or animal health
declared by state, tribal or local
health or vector control agency, or if
specifically approved by the state or
Wing Beats
Fall 2004
15

tribe during a natural disaster recovery
effort."
AMCA: This recommendation drew
the most varied response from among
those who submitted comments.
Some felt that specifying retreatment
parameters unduly limited applicator
flexibility in meeting changing control
requirements. Others felt that the
administrative burden this would entail
would overtax districts already
operating on slim margins in terms
of resources.
The issue is complex, given application
timings governed by the varying
susceptibilities of non-targets at certain
stages of their development. In
addition, what constitutes acceptable
environmental loads in light of ESA
issues, product chemistry, persistence
and environmental fate have
not been adequately defined, in some
instances, to the point of precluding
challenge. The fact is that removing
all retreatment restrictions would not
be acceptable to either the EPA or to
the many environmental groups with
the means to legally challenge their
absence.
We felt that the EPA risk models provide
the most consistent means by
which retreatment issues could be
addressed as long as public health
needs were taken into account. To
this end, AMCA recommended that
applications of materials may be repeated
as required based on surveillance
data or epidemic risk established
by recognized competent authority.
We recommended that this
be restricted to a maximum label rate
within a 24 hour period or a maximum
amount per acre per year based
upon registrant-developed NOAELs
and EPA Risk Assessments (RA).
AMCA felt that districts already track
application parameters, so that administrative
overhead should not be
significantly increased. Furthermore,
NOAEL levels are extremely unlikely
to be approached in even exceptional
public health circumstances if application
rates are followed. Yearly load
restrictions would be determined by
EPA RAs already in place. We are
convinced that these restrictions will
in no way hinder districts utilizing the
full range of control methodologies
within accepted integrated mosquito
management frameworks.
AMCA will continue to monitor legislative
and regulatory issues to ensure the
interests of the mosquito control profession
are ably served. I would also
solicit your input into this process when
asked. To be sure, theAMCAprovides
a credible perspective to these issues
within our limited capacity. But our footprint
in the Agencies and halls of Congress
considerably enlarges to the extent
that all of our members take the
time to participate in this critical arena.
For instance, activist groups evidently
coordinated the mailing of several hundred
thousand letters to EPA regarding
the ESA issue. That they could mobilize
this level of response is impressive,
despite the Agency's eventually ruling
with us on the issue, speaks to the nature
of our opposition. We would do
well to demonstrate the same level of
commitment
One of the functions of the
AMCAis to represent the
mosquito control point of view
to government agencies and
environmental organizations.
Joe Conlon, the AMCA
Technical Advisor, keeps us up
to date on congressional and
environmental actions related to
mosquito control.
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Introducing a new_wave
for environmental science.

Introducing a new_wave
for environmental science.

The Entomological Foundation is
focusing its efforts on conducting
a national inventory to determine
what IPM youth educational programs
and materials exist and
bring together those organizations
that have a high stake in these resources.
Its newest initiative, Educating
Young People About Responsible
Pest Management for
a Sustainable Environment, is the
result of the formation of new partnerships
to increase the capacity
of youth educators to incorporate
IPM programming into current formal
and informal science-based
educational programs. AMCA
members are often involved in
youth educational resources and
your experience in the use of IPM
for mosquito control is of great interest
to the Foundation's national
initiative.
The Entomological Foundation
would like to summarize the available
resources and identify opportunities
for curriculum development,
which will determine where
future youth IPM funding resources
could best be applied. As
part of this national initiative, a onestop
IPM Education virtual library
(web-based) will be developed.
This library will contain identified
IPM educational programs and
materials for parents, educators,
and young people who want to
teach and learn about the environment
and the extreme importance
of responsible pest management.
The Foundation urges AMCA
members to join this effort as mosquito
breeding and control is an
Entomological Foundation
Seeks AMCA Members
in its Network of Partners
essential area of this educational
program.
Roles and responsibilities of the
Entomological Foundation's partners
include reviewing curriculums,
setting up pilot projects in
communities where universities,
counties, and private sector partners
have sites, and serving on
an advisory committee, along
with planning and implementing
regional teacher and informal
youth educator development
training. state teams of teachers
and volunteers/informal youth
educators including 4-H program
leaders, home-schooling parents,
and representatives from
other youth-serving organizations
will be trained in the use of the
resulting resources and materials.
Workshop participants will be
asked to train others in their state
on how to provide science activities
for youth including the development
and implementation of
community-based insect/mosquito
science programs.
The Entomological Foundation,
a not-for-profit educational organization,
is dedicated to serving
the educational enterprise by leveraging
science-community resources
to educate youth in applying
insect science to achieve
a healthy environment. The Entomological
Foundation is forming
a network of science-based
partners from the public and private
sectors concerned with integrated
pest management, environmental
and entomological
education.
Partners in this national initiative now
include Agriculture in the Classroom,
Dow AgroSciences, National Association
of Biology Teachers, National
4-H, National Science Teachers Association,
North American Association
for Environmental Education,
Orkin Technical Services, Pennsylvania
State University, and University
of California- Davis. The Entomological
Foundation would like to
have AMCA members to be partners
in this endeavor.
If you would like to learn more about
the program and how you can support
this endeavor, see the
Foundation's web site http://
www.entfdn.org. To learn more
about the Foundation and how it can
help you; or contact April Gower,
Executive Vice President, Entomological
Foundation, (301 ) 459-9083.
Fred Knapp
Assistant
Director Emeritus
Professor Emeritus
Department of Entomology
University of Kentucky
Immediate Past
President AMCA
16'"9 r?eaU Fall 2004 25

to d isease outbreaks
faster and more accurately.
With the deployment of
the handheld field data
collection unit (e.g., a
Trimble GeoXT) with
ArcPad, field technicians
and supervisors are able
to collect surveyed coordinates
for a variety of
data. Some frequently
used applications include
the Inspector's forms to
monitor the collection sites
for mosquito larvae and
areas treated with larvicide
(Figure 2).
The ArcPad forms expedite entering
required data that was previously
recorded on paper and
then manually entered into a database
upon returning to the main
office. This new handheld pocket
pc enables the inspector or field
technician to enter more detailed
site data, record georeferenced
positions, and display the sites
on a reference map (Figure 3).
The immediate capture of environmental
conditions and the potential
mosquito breeding habitat
locations simplifies the process
of recording accurate
data. This in turn expedites
disease surveillance
and monitoring with a reduced
potential for error.
HCMC is uniquely organized
to operate as a series
of systems. Laboratory
personnel act in concert
with field personnel
to collect mosquitoes and
birds for disease surveillance,
as well as conduct
on-site testing and evaluations.
The Test and
Evaluation (T & E) labo-
Figure 2
Figure 3
Handheld field data collection unit
ratory assesses commercially
manufactured
mosquito trap endurance
and effectiveness
for mosquito abatement
and surveillance. In addition,
the T& E laboratory
conducts resistance
testing of commercially
available pesticide
products.
Resistance testing utilizes
a grid comprised
of three rows of polemounted
cages spaced
1 00 feet apart on each
row. The rows are
placed 1 00 feet apart creating a
200 by 300 foot grid. Each of the
nine poles of the grid holds two
cages that contain a precise
count of Culex quinquefasciatus
mosquitoes, the main vector species
of St. Louis Encephalitis and
West Nile virus in the region. One
cage contains the test mosquitoes
collected from field populations
and the second cage contains
a susceptible strain of colony
mosquitoes. This method allows
researchers the opportunity to determine
if the mosquito populations
breeding in specific areas
of Harris County are becoming resistant
or less sensitive
to pesticides.
Once the grid is set, the
poles are individually
georeferenced using the
Trimble GeoXT handheld
field data collection unit.
Custom ArcPad forms
are vital for this purpose.
The unique identifying information
and GPS point
is simultaneously recorded
for each pole site
using these forms.
The next step in the resistance
testing is the in-
'Jf/'"9 i$'eaU. Fall 2004 35

troduction ofthe pesticide. In this
region, the ultra-low volume
(ULV) spray truck is the most
commonly used application
method. The spray truck is driven
at five miles per hour past the grid
in a path perpendicular to the prevailing
winds, so that the plume
of pesticide is carried through the
grid of poles. After the drift has
dissipated, the mosquitoes are
collected from the cages and
observed during the following
days in the laboratory, where
mortality rates are noted for each
site. The use of georeferenced
data helps ensure the accuracy
of the grid setup and drive path
for the spray truck. The data recorded
at each pole site is then
used to analyze and display the
sensitivity of the mosquitoes at
each site to specific pesticides.
Although this project was not included
in the original mobile government
grant proposal, it has
proven to be one ofthe most beneficial
uses of the grant.
The advantages of field data collection
are used in several HCMC
sections; Inspection, Test and
Evaluation, Mosquito Surveillance
and Avian Surveillance. Several
ArcPad forms have been created
for specific purposes (Figure 7).
While each HCMC section is
unique in its function and collection
techniques, they each gather
point data. During the initial planning
of the field data collection
forms each section requested a
simple form that could easily be
completed in the field and
seamlessly record the same data
they were entering in the office.
Data management has been improved
by using data tables
stored in Microsoft Access databases
created by each section.
These data tables store detailed
data for each sample collected
and each site visited. The ArcPad
36 Fall2004
forms developed for each section
were simple and create a file
(i.e. dbf) that can be downloaded
easily and integrated into the existing
databases since the fields
used in the forms correspond to
those already being used in the
existing database. Building on the
present database format, the
ArcPad forms were easily deployed
to field personnel already
familiar with the data they had to
collect.
Harris County Mosquito Control
has been aggressive in the implementation
of an active and updated
geographic information
system. They strive to build better
datasets and share valuable
data with other agencies in a
timely manner. As a part of the
Harris County Health department
and as part of the greater Harris
County area, Harris County Mosquito
Control actively promotes
the use of GIS in all aspects of
surveillance, analysis, and reduction
of disease occurrence. For
more information please visit our
website at
www.harriscountyhealth.com or
email Christina Hailey at
chailey@harriscountyhealth.com.
,----------
Christina Hailey
GIS Coordinator
Stephan Nawrocki
Administrative Services and IT Manager
Harris County Public Health
and Environmental Services
Mosquito Control Division
www.harriscountyhealth.com
Note from the Editor
The following information
was not published in the
Summer 2004 issue of
Wing Beats:
The cover photo was
courtesy of Stephen
Doggett, Department of
Medical Entomology,
Westmead Hospital,
Sydney, Australia.
For more mosquito images:
www.arlx>virus.health.nsw.gov.au