Ultra-low volume (ULV) adulticide treatment impacts age structure of Culex species (Diptera: Culicidae) in a West Nile virus hotspot

Abstract

West Nile virus (WNV) invaded the continental United States over 20 years ago and continues to cause yearly seasonal outbreaks of human and veterinary disease. In the suburbs of Chicago, Illinois, ultra-low volume (ULV) truck-mounted adulticide spraying frequently is performed to reduce populations of Culex restuans Theobald and Cx. pipiens L. mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) in an effort to lower the risk of WNV transmission. The effectiveness of this control method has not been rigorously evaluated, and evidence for Culex population reduction after ULV adulticide spraying has been inconclusive. Therefore, we evaluated the results of 5 sequential weekly truck-mounted adulticide applications of Zenivex® E20 (etofenprox) in 2 paired sites located in Cook County, IL, during the summer of 2018. Mosquito population abundance, age structure, and WNV infection prevalence were monitored and compared between paired treatment and nearby control sites. Adulticide treatment did not result in consistent short-term or long-term reductions in target WNV vector Culex abundance. However, there was a significant increase in the proportion of nulliparous females in the treated sites compared to control sites and a decrease in Cx. pipiens WNV infection rates at one of the treated sites. This evidence that ULV adulticide spraying altered the age structure and WNV infection prevalence in a vector population has important implications for WNV transmission risk management. Our findings also underscore the importance of measuring these important indicators in addition to abundance metrics when evaluating the efficacy of control methods.

Application of ultra‐low‐volume spray for the control of vegetable disease in greenhouse: Investigation of formulation performance and potential dermal exposure

“…In recent years, ULV spraying is considered a most effective and labor‐saving technique for the control of high humidity‐induced vegetable disease, such as tomato gray mold. Compared with traditional mechanical and manual pesticide spraying, the use of ULV sprayers can save labor and time, while enabling pest and disease control without significant impacts on yield and quality 32–34 . For example, in traditional hydraulic spray, the pesticide needs to be diluted with large amount of water (200–300 kg/ha) before spraying while Ultra‐low volume (ULV) spray is designed to be sprayed without dilution.…”