Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association, 15(4):446_452,1999 Copyright O 1999 by the American Mosquito Control Association, Inc. FIELD EFFICACY AND NONTARGET EFFECTS OF THE MOSQUITO LARVICIDES TEMEPHOS, METHOPRENE, AND BACILLUS THURINGIENSIS VAR. ISRAELENSISIN FLORIDA MANGROVE SWAMPS SHARON P LAWLER,' TRULS JENSEN,,., DEBORAH A. DRITZ, ,qNo GEoRGE WICHTERMANI ABSTRACT. We compared the efficacy and nontarget effects of temephos, Bacillus thuringiensis var. israe- (B.t'i.), lensis and methoprene applied by helicopter to control mosquito larvae in mangrove ,*u-p, on Sanibel Island, FL, in May 1997. Three sites per treatment and 3 untreated sites were used. Temephos (Abate@) was applied at 37 mllha (43Vo active ingredient tAIl), B.t.i. granules (Vectobac G@.; were uppii.d ut 5.606 kg/ha (200 International Toxic Units/mg), and methoprene (Altosid@ ALL) was applied at213 ni/ha (5vo AI). EffiJacy was quantified by monitoring the survival of caged and uncaged larval Aides taeniorhynchus. We quantified mortality of sentinel nontarget amphipods (Talitridae) at all sites, monitored the effect bf temephos on flying arthropods using light traps, and collected dead insects in tarps suspended under mangroves in areas treated with either temephos or methoprene. Each pesticide showed good overall efficacy but occasional failures occurred. No detectable mortality of amphipods or flying insects attributable to pesticides was found. The inconsistent field efficacies of the pesticides indicate a need for reinspection of treated sites in this habitat. KEY WORDS B.r.i., Abate@, Altosid@, mosquito control, Aedes taeniorhynchus INTRODUCTION safe for vertebrates at levels used in mosquito con- trol, but vary in risk to invertebrates. Temephos is Coastal marshes and mangrove swamps are often an organophosphate pesticide that acts by inhibiting managed for mosquito control because salt-marsh cholinesterase, and it is toxic to insects and some mosquitoes can emerge in numbers that threaten the other nontarget invertebrates (Smith 1987, Brown health of humans and livestock. The salt-marsh et al. 1996).The bacterium B.t.i. is a microbial in- mosquito Aedes taeniorhynchus (Wiedemann) can secticide. It controls mosquitoes with toxins whose make our study area, Sanibel Island, FL, nearly un- action is specific to nematoceran dipterans (e.g., inhabitable, and it can harm livestock (Addison and mosquitoes and black flies), and is expected to have Ritchie 1993). Aedes taeniorhynchus c^n fly long little effect on other macroinvertebrates (Back et al. distances to obtain blood meals (Ritchie and Mon- 1985, Federici 1995). Methoprene is similar in tague 1995), so one of the best methods of con- structure to insect juvenile hormone, and it causes trolling this species is to kill the larvae in local mortality in mosquitoes by interfering with meta- breeding sites before they disperse as adults. Aedes morphosis. Although the action of methoprene is taeniorhynchzs larvae develop in temporary pools not specific to mosquitoes, many insects are insen- that form in depressions above the upper intertidal sitive to the levels of methoprene used in mosquito zone in mangrove swamps and salt marshes. They control (Hershey et al. 1995, but see Gelbic et al. often occur in such large numbers that emergence 1994). Methoprene is not expected to affect adult of even a small percentage of the population can insects. Methoprene and B.t.i. were recently re- create problems for residents. Because salt marshes ported to have negative indirect effects on preda- tory insects (Hershey and mangrove swamps are productive habitats that et al. 1998). However, de- clines of predators occurred only after 2-3 years of sustain a variety of wildlife (review, Mitsch and frequent application of the materials at maximum Gosselink 1993), environmentally sound mosquito label rates, and no such effects have been docu- management is a conservation priority. We con- mented during normal use of these materials. ducted a large-scale field study on 3 larvicides, te- This study offers a side-by-side comparison of mephos, Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis (de the field efflcacy of the pesticides when applied by Barjac) (B.t.i.), and methoprene, to assess whether aircraft to swamps composed of mangroves and these larvicides could control mosquitoes in man- grasses. To compare the nontarget effects of the grove areas without causing substantial mortality of pesticides, we monitored the survival of a common nontarget amphipods and canopy insects. amphipod (Talitridae) in treated and control sites. The 3 pesticides have different modes of action We also tested whether temephos would kill inver- and expected nontarget effects. All are relatively tebrates inhabiting the mangrove canopy. Nontarget insects in the mangrove canopy could be affected by aerial applications of temephos because it is a I Department of Entomology, University of Califomia contact poison. at Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616. 2 Present address: 3721 E Vermilion Avenue, Kanab, uT 84741. MATERIALS AND METHODS r Lee County Mosquito Control District, PO 60005, Study sites: The study was conducted in May Fort Mvers. FL 33906. 1997, during the 1st larviciding operations of that 446 DeceNanen1999 Epp'ecrs op Tnngn LARVICIDESrN MeNcnovgs 447 Fisherman's Key qt/ 4 1fl-\^L r Sanibel Island - 1 Kilometer Fig., 1. Map of a study area, Sanibel Island, FL, showing the location of mangrove areas treated with mosquito control pesticides or used as controls. Sites ranged in size from 3.2 to 2i.6 ha. Treitments correspond to symbois as follows: r?r temephos, ) Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis, I methoprene. I control. year. We established 11 study sites on Sanibel Is- quitoes in treated sites using dippers. We evaluated land plus one on nearby Fisherman's Key (Fig. l). whether temephos would affect terrestrial insects Sites ranged in size from 3.2 to 2i.6 ha. The dom- by comparing insect collections from sites treated inant species in all areas were red mangrove (Rftl- with temephos to sites that were either untreated or lophora mangle (L.)) and black mangrove (Avicen- treated with methoprene. Details are given below. nia germinans (L.)), with a few areas of srasses Pesticide application: Lee County Mosquito or white mangroves (Laguncularia raJemosa Control District personnel applied all pesticides by (Gaertn)) in some sites. These sites typically flood helicopter, and cleaned application gear between during high-tide cycles that coincide with onshore applications of different materials. The B.t.i. srarl- winds, and the water usually disappears within sev- ules (Vectobac G@, Abbott Laboratories, Iiorth eral days (G. Wichterman, personal communica- Chicago, IL) were applied on May 14, 1997, at a tion). All sites flooded with rain and tide warers rate of 5.606 kg/tra (200 International Toxic Units during a storm on May 12, 1997, and lst-stage Ae. per mg; 5 lb/acre). Temephos and methoprene were taeniorhynchus appeared the next day. Each larvi- applied on May 15, 1997, except for I application cide was applied to 3 sites and 3 control sites were of temephos to Fisherman's Key on May 16, 1997. not treated. Control sites flooded simultaneouslv Temephos (Abate@, Clarke Mosquito Control prod- with treated sites but produced few mosquitoes. WL ucts, Roselle, IL) was applied at 37 mllha (43Vo were unable to assign control sites at random with active ingredient [AI]; O.5 fl oz./acre). Methoprene respect to the presence of mosquitoes, because even (Altosido ALL, Wellmark International, Benson- small untreated areas can produce enorrnous num- ville, IL) was applied at 213 mllha (5Vo AI, 3 oz./ bers of mosquitoes that attack nearby residents. acre). One B.t.i. site was retreated with temephos We sampled study sites on the day before pesti- after 2 days to prevent emergence of mosquitoes cide application and on the subsequent 6 days. At that survived the B.t.i. application. all sites, we monitored survival of caged mosquito Sentinels: We used field-collected Ae. taenior- larvae and amphipods, and sampled uncaged mos- hynchus larvae and amphipods in the family Tali- 448 JounNll or rHe AlarntcaN Mosquno CoNrnol AssocnrroN VoL. 15,No.4 tridae as sentinels to monitor insecticide activity. that insects were too sparse in the mangrove canopy Aedes taeniorhynchus and the amphipods were the for effective sampling by sweep net (15 canopy only aquatic macroinvertebrates consistently pres- sweeps typically yielded fewer than 4 insects). ent in study sites after flooding, probably because Therefore, we tested whether temephos affected fly- the habitat is ephemeral. Other aquatic macroinver- ing insect abundance by collecting insects with tebrates occasionally observed during field work Centers for Disease Control light traps (CDC traps) were fiddler crabs, water boatmen (Corixidae), and and ultraviolet light rraps (UV traps) in 2 sites treat- dytiscid beetles. Sentinels were held in floating ed with temephos (Wulfert's Point and West Im- predator-exclusion cages. Cages were 1.9-liter plas- poundment Swale), and in 2 sites that are not larv- tic buckets that were suspended in the water by a icided (Pole Line and Tarpon Bay). We placed 2 ring of styrofoam and attached to a stake by string. CDC traps and 1 UV trap in each site, at least 20 Cages had 2 screened windows measuring 5 X 10.5 m apart. The vegetation was thick in these areas cm, and had screened lids that were removed dur- and so it is unlikely that the traps attracted insects ing insecticide applications. Before pesticide appli- from outside the designated sites. We could not see cation on May 14, 25 2nd-stage mosquito larvae from 1 trap to the next and had to follow flagged were placed in each of 2 cages per site, and 25 trails to find them. However, insects were free to amphipods were placed in each of 2 cages per site. fly in and out of sites during the study.