Integrated Mosquito Management Strategies
The purpose of an Integrated Mosquito Management, or IMM, is to protect public health from diseases transmitted by mosquitoes, protect the environment through proper use and disposal of pesticides, and to improve the overall quality of life through practical and effective pest control strategies. The Weber Mosquito Abatement District (Weber MAD) is committed to the following strategies: Public Education, Surveillance, Water Management and Source Reduction, Biological Control (through the use of mosquitofish), Chemical Control, and Evaluation and Research.
Education and a good relationship with the public is vital to the success of a mosquito control program. Weber MAD continues to seek opportunities to educate and inform the public about mosquitoes and vector-borne diseases through media outlets, public discussions, or simple one-on-one conversations. If your school, class, group, club, etc. is interested in learning more about mosquitoes and the diseases they can carry, please contact the office at (801) 392-1630.
The use of mosquito and disease surveillance in a control program is essential to making good decisions. Mosquito surveillance can be separated into larval surveillance and adult surveillance. Larval surveys involve the inspection by trained staff of any standing water, sloughs, irrigated pastures, etc. for the presence of mosquito larvae and pupae. The presence of larvae, which stage of development they are in, and the larval density for the area determines which pesticide and equipment will be used. Larval thresholds are also used when determining if pesticide is needed.
Adult mosquito surveillance involves the use of CO2 traps, BG Sentinel traps, Gravid traps, and rotator traps for the collection of mosquitoes. Those collected mosquitoes are separated to species, counted, and recorded. Weber MAD regularly traps several species of mosquitoes - Culex tarsalis, Culex pipiens, Culex erythrothorax, Aedes vexans, Aedes dorsalis, Culiseta inornata, and Anopholes freeborni.
Three species, Culex tarsalis, Culex pipiens, and Culex erythrothorax, are then separated into “pools” or samples of between 10 to 100 mosquitoes. These mosquitoes are then processed in the District's lab or sent to the Utah Public Health Laboratory and tested for the presence of West Nile Virus (WNV). Trap locations and up-to-date mosquito numbers and WNV results from the state lab can be viewed on the SURVEILLANCE page.
Water Management and Source Reduction involves taking measures to eliminate standing water. Some of these proactive activities include proper irrigation techniques, draining or filling of unwanted or unnecessary ponds, and creating steep banks at water collection sites. Vegetation management is also necessary to eliminate protection and food for mosquito larvae.
The introduction or use of natural predators is a form of Biological Control. Gambusia affinis, commonly known as mosquitofish, are a species of fresh water fish that feed on mosquito larvae. Mosquitofish can be provided by the Weber MAD at no charge if the property meets specific criteria - a closed system pond, such as an ornamental pond, that is not connected to a natural waterway, and above the 100-year flood line. Mosquitofish are also voracious predators that can out-compete other species of fish in the wild. The Weber MAD and other mosquito abatement districts in Utah work with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources and the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food to ensure a safe introduction. Contact the Weber MAD office at (801) 392-1630 or submit a REQUEST if you have a pond that meets the above criteria.
Chemical Control is divided into larval control and adult control. For a complete list of the pesticides used by the Weber MAD please refer to the PESTICIDES page where individual pesticide labels and Safety Data Sheets (SDS) can be viewed and printed. Please contact us if you have additional questions.
Throughout the mosquito season, Evaluations are being conducted to ensure the proper use of pesticides and equipment, that staff have been properly trained, and that the Weber MAD is in compliance with all safety measures. A complete evaluation of all aspects of the program are reviewed, updated, and/or changed, if necessary at the end of each mosquito season. In addition to evaluating the program, Research is conducted with chemical companies in the testing of new products, assistance is given to research at the university level, and the Weber MAD also conducts its own research projects at the local level. All of these projects and trials not only aid the local program but also the mosquito control community throughout the world. We are proud and privileged to work with wonderful, hard working people, companies, and universities who share the same goals.