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Mailing Address: PO Box 60005 Fort Myers, FL 33906
Editor-in-Chief Marin Brouillard, Naples, FL voice: 239-436-1000 fax: 239-436-1005
Shipping Address: 600 North Road Naples, FL 34104
email: wingbeats@collier-mosquito org
Managing Editor Dennis Moore, Fort Myers, FL voice: 239-694-2174 fax: 239-694-6959 e-mail: moore@lcmcd org
Associate Editors Dave Dame, Gainesville, FL Tom Wilmot, Sanford, MI LCDR Eric Hoflinan, Jacksonville, FL
Regional Editors Massachusetts- Timothy D Deschamps, Norwood Michigan- Thomas R Wilmot, Sanford New Jersey- William C Reinert, Northfield Texas -Dan Sprenger, Corpus Christi Utah - Glenn Collett, Salt Lake City
Editorial Review Board Bill Reynolds, Sanford, FL L Philip Lounibos, Vero Beach, FL Robert Lowrie, Covington, LA GeorgeF O'Meara, VeroBeach,FL John J Smith, Norwood, MA James Webb, Santa Ana, CA
Florida Mosquito Control Association FMCA President Kellie Elberson, Gainesville, FL; e-mail: ethersonk@ci gainesville flus
Shelly Redovan, FMCA Executive Director PO Box 60837 Fort Myers, FL 33906-0837 voice: 239-694-2174; fax: 239-433-5684 e-mail: redovan@lcmcd org
American Mosquito Control Association AMCA President: Fred Knapp, Lexington, KY e-mail: flcnapp@ca uky edu
Martin S Chomsky, AMCA Business Manager PO Box 234 Eatontown, NJ 07724 voice: 732-544-4645; fax: 732-542-3267 e-mail: amca@mosquito org
www mosquito org
Feature: One Hundred Years of Entomology in the Panama Canal Zone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 by~-4. 'P~
Commentary: Overcoming Regulation Based on Innuendo and Litigation.................................................. 14 by 1:'~. fell Stwelt4
Chemline: PESP Champion Award......................................... 16 by 'Pete-e Z'eda.rt. Z'O<t9 ~- Z'O<t9 U'a44ffl«
Leading Edge: A Tale of Extremes: Mosquito Larvae, Battery Acid, and Drain Cleaner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 by 11tMi4 dd 'Pitale ~ 'P4. Z'.
Field Forum: ULV studies of Permethrin in Saginaw Michigan......................................... 22 by ~.tJ. "K~. &.Z'. U'a!Mt.11t.A. "K~. e.A.V~
From Where I Sit: Notes From the AMCA Technical Advisor ................................................................... 25 by~~
Program Profile: Keeping Aedes albopictus Out of the Lower Florida Keys ............................................ 36 by fk44 9· VtMk & &dut11t. '9«4«1t
About the Cover: A man spraying larvicide oil from a backpack sprayer near Miraflores, Panama, 1910. Photo Courtesy of Dr. John L. Petersen
~ ~: An official publication of the American Mosquito Control Association, published quarterly by the Florida Mosquito Control Association This magazine is intended to keep all interested parties informed on matters as they relate to mosquito control All rights reserved Reproduction, in whole or part. for educational purposes is permitted, without permission, with proper citation The FMCA and the AMCA have not tested any of the products advertised or referred to in this publication, nor have they verified any of the statements made in any of the advertisements or articles The FMCA and the AMCA do not warrant, expressly or implied, the fitness of any product advertised or the suitability of any advice or statements contained herein Opiuions expressed in this publication are not necessarily the opiuions or policies of the FMCA or the AMCA
Subscriptions: ~ ~ is sent free of charge to anyone within the continental United States Subscriptions are available for the cost of first class postage to any foreign address at the following rates: Europe, UK and Australia US$20; Canada, US$6; South America US$! 0 Make checks and purchase orders payable to the Florida Mosquito Control Association and send to FMCA, PO Box 60837, Fort Myers, FL 33906-0837
Correspondence: Address all correspondence regarding~ ~ to the Editor-in-Chief, Marin Brouillard, 600 North Road, Naples, FL 34104 Readers are invited to submit articles related to mosquito and biting fly biology and control, or letters to the Editors There is no charge if your article or letter is printed Photographers and artists are invited to submit color transparencies, high quality original artwork or artwork in electronic format for possible use in the magazine or on the cover; $100 will be paid for each cover photo Businesses are invited to place advertisements through the Editor-in-Chief
In 1900 Walter Reed, Aristides Agramonte, Jesse Lazear, and James Carroll made medical history by demonstrating that Stegomyia fasciata (as Aedes aegypti was called in those days) transmitted yellow fever. Mosquitoes did it! Not contaminated clothing. Not "bad air." The next year, Colonel William Crawford Gorgas applied the laboratory conclusions of the Walter Reed Commission to the real-life situation in Havana, Cuba where yellow fever was rampant. By applying military discipline to eliminate larval Stegomyia breeding sites and improve sanitation, yellow fever cases were reduced from 1 ,400 during 1900 to 37 in all of 1901 . October 1901 was Havana's first yellow fever free month in recorded history!
4 Winter 2003
On March 1, 1904, U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt appointed Colonel Gorgas, who had gained a reputation as the outstanding authority on tropical disease, to serve as the Chief Sanitary Officer in Panama. His mission: eliminate yellow fever to make the canal construction area safe for workers. Gorgas knew what to do. He had already succeeded in Havana, Cuba. But Panama was to be a different story!
The Spanish American War had taught President Roosevelt two important lessons. ( 1) A Central American canal was essential to the strategic interests of the United States. (2) Tropical diseases were enemies that could not be ignored. Yellow fever, typhoid and malaria killed thirteen times as
many soldiers as the number of combatfatalities. In fact, the Walter Reed Yellow Fever Commission was established to address this very problem.
The Gorgas sanitary team advance party arrived on the Isthmus in April 1904. The first year was one of great frustration . Understaffed and under-budgeted , Gorgas' plan for Panama was going nowhere. The root problem was that Gorgas' fellow commissioners did not accept the "mosquito theory." Gorgas' requisitions for men, materials and supplies languished. What turned things around was the panic created by the yellow fever outbreak of 1905. "Yellow Jack in Panama" screamed the headlines in the New York Herald. That was bad
news for the foremen trying to recruit workers for the canal construction effort. Roosevelt ordered the sanitation of Panama at any cost. That's what made the dirt fly. Gorgas finally got his money and mosquito control began in earnest. Yellow fever cases declined. So did malaria, although it never disappeared entirely. Source reduction was relentless, with military-type discipline. Stegomyia fasciata was effectively eliminated from the urban centers of Panama City [located on the Pacific Ocean] and Colon [located on the Caribbean]. By 1906, yellow fever was eliminated from Panama. After the initial successes, Gorgas
stayed on, and was the only original member of the Panama Canal Commission to serve from its inception in 1904 through to completion of the canal in 1914. For his successes, William Crawford Gorgas was promoted to Major General and went on to serve as Surgeon General of the United states until his retirement in 1918.
History of the Gorgas Memorial Laboratory (1921 to present)
In 1921, Dr. Belisario Porras, three-time president ofthe Republic of Panama, thought of establishing a memorial to Major General William Crawford Gorgas in the form of an international center for the study of tropical diseases. The Gorgas Memorial Laboratory (GML) became a reality in 1928 when Panama donated the land and original building while the Congress of the United States provided the initial financial support. The first director was Herbert C. Clark who served for 25 years from 1929-1954. Among Dr. Clark's outstanding contributions were his long-term malaria studies along the Chagres River, including pioneering studies on DDT for mosquito control. Details of the life cycle of Anopheles albimanus were studied based on a
laboratory colony. Additional medically important species of anophelines were studied by Dr. Lloyd Rozeboom. An entomological field station was established at Juan Mina on the Chagres River and served for many years for field
observations on anopheline bionomics and malaria transmission patterns. One of the outstanding publications of this period was the monograph 'The Anopheline Mosquitoes of the Caribbean Region" by Sanitary Engineer Director W. H. W. Kemp of the U. S. Public Health Service, who had been assigned to the GML. In addition, Dr. Graham Bell "Sandy" Fairchild was responsible for an important series of papers on Tabanidae and Simuliidae.
Mosquito repellent studies were initiated in Panama during 1939. Major Marshall Hertig joined GML in 1943 to take charge of the mosquito repellent program for the U. S. Army Office of Scientific Re-
search and Development. Hertig would go on to lead the research effort on leishmaniasis and phlebotomine sand flies . The cadre of Army Sanitary Corps officers stationed at the GML during WWII conducted extensive studies in Panama on the prevention and control of arthropods of medical importance from a military standpoint. Later, in 1948, Pedro Galindo, chief of the antimalaria campaign of the Department of Health of the Republic of Panama joined GML as a liason member
continued on page 8
"JUUt9 iS'e4U Winter 2003 5
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"Panama" continued from page 5
on malaria control. In 1949, the appearance of 3 fatal human cases of yellow fever along the transisthmian highway led to studies on forest mosquitoes as vectors of sylvan yellow fever. These pioneering studies established research programs that continued for many years producing highly significant results.
Dr. Carl M. Johnson served as the second GML director from 1954-1964. A physician with broad interests, both clinical and field, Dr. Johnson was an expert on Chagas disease. In fact, Dr. Johnson accidentally acquired Chagas disease himself and was personally familiar with the symptoms. Work continued on the incrimination of triatomid vectors of Chagas' disease. GML expanded under his leadership. Yellow fever surveillance revealed activity at Cerro Azul in 1956 and Buena Vista in 1957. Other arboviruses received increased attention and interest in this program was
8 Winter 2003
enhanced by the occurrence of Venezuelan equine encephalomyelitis in both humans and horses. studies on leishmaniasis were extended to include detailed observations on the epidemiology, ecol-
ogy and colonization of phlebotomine sand flies. In 1956, the U. S. National Institutes of Health awarded a multi-year grant for studies on leishmaniasis under the direction of Dr. Marshall Hertig and Dr. Graham B. Fairchild.
Dr. Martin D. Young, a malaria expert, was GML director from 1964-197 4. Dr. Young was an important contributor to the literature on malaria and other parasitic diseases with over 1 00 journal articles on these subjects. Leishmania studies focused on reservoir hosts and taxonomy of phlebotomine sand flies of the genus Lutzomyia.
In connection with feasibility studies of two proposed sites for a sea-level canal in Panama or Colombia, the GML collaborated with the U. S. Army to conduct medical and ecological surveillance along the proposed canal routes. This was a tremendous opportunity for medical entomologists to conduct
long-term studies in the Darien of Panama. Many important arbovirus isolations were made at this time, such as Punta Torro virus.
A highlight of medical entomology field research during the 1970's was the pre- and post-impoundment study of mosquito transmission of St. Louis Encephalitis (SLE) and Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis (VEE) at the site of the Bayano Hydroelectric Dam and the GML field station at Maje Island. Similar long-term studies were conducted at the Fortuna Hydroelectric Project in Chiriqui Province during the late 70's and early 1980's.
The major contributions of GML have been in the fields of epidemiology, treatment of tropical diseases, and preventive medicine. The geographic location of GML at a world crossroads contributed much to these successes. Outstanding progress has been achieved in the epidemiology of malaria, yellow fever and other ar-
boviruses, Chagas' disease and leishmaniasis.
In 1990, the U. S. Congress transferred the GML to the Panamanian government. The "Institute Conmemorativo Gorgas de Estudios de Ia Salud" [Gorgas Memorial Institute for Health Studies) continues today under the auspices of the Panamanian Ministry of Health providing public health and preventive medicine services to the people of Panama with dengue surveillance being the most significant medical entomology activity.
In accordance with the Torrijos/ Carter Treaties, on December 31 , 1999 the U. S. flag was lowered from Quarry Heights on Ancon Hill and the "Canal Zone" reverted to Panama. However, this historic event did not end mosquito control on the Isthmus. Capable entomologists from the University of Panama and the Panama Canal Authority continue to provide excellent environmental sanitation for the protection of canal employees
and the residents of the reverted areas.
Military Medical Entomology in Panama (1904-1999)
During the entire duration of U. S. presence in the Panama Canal Zone, several branches of the U. S. armed forces were active on the Isthmus. The army, navy, air force and marines all had preventive medicine units. For many years, the navy conducted a course "Medicine in the Tropics" providing clinical and field experience in tropical parasitology and medical entomology. The army had the largest research component with outstanding contributions to medical entomology that included field-testing both topical (applied to the skin) and clothing mosquito repellents. In addition, the military conducted long-term studies of exposure to leishmaniasis by soldiers on bivouac in the tropical forest at the Jungle Operations Training Center. Many of the military medical entomologists who served in Panama are now in leadership roles in mosquito control programs throughout the world.
In 1977, the Panama Canal Company (PCC) became the Panama Canal Commission according to the implementation of the Torrijos/Carter Treaties. The PCC contributed to medical entomology in several important areas. For example, novel methods of aquatic weed control were developed for the abatement of Mansonia mosquitoes that were particularly troublesome for the residents of Gamboa, a township located where the Chagres River flows into the Panama Canal. The PCC monitored malaria transmission in townships on the shores of Gatun Lake, the man-made lake created by the Panama Canal locks.
continued on page 12
U'tit9 iS'ea/4. Winter 2003 9
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"Panama" continued from page 9
Dengue in Panama (1 993 - 2004)
though Aedes aegypti IS still the problem, the Panama Canal Au
After many years of eradication, Aedes aegypti was detected on the Isthmus. 1n August of 1985. Researchers at GML reported Dengue-2 in Panama City in 1993. This was the first recorded outbreak of dengue in Panama since 1942. Dengue-3 was detected in 1994 and during 1999 all 4 dengue serotypes circulated. Panamanian entomologists detected Aedes albopictus in Panama during 2002, although the role of this species in dengue tre~nsmission
is unknown at present. Dengue surveillance rema1ns a high priority.
thority continues to count on a _..-- - - --- - --- - - , 1 well-trained staff of medical entomologists to keep the canal operating area sale for commerce at the crossroads of the world.
Dr. Jolm L. Petersen E:~.'lension Medical Entomologist
Public Health Entomology Research & Education Center
4000 Frankford A vc. Panama City, FL
In 1904, Gorgas' challenge was yellow fever; In 2004, the threat in Panama is dengue. AI·
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\X.~ are luok..111g for mrereH.ing: ctd\J'IJC::tl or Eic:kJ rckttcd arOck::-. .1bc1ut rnos<.Jltllf)l•'", anOS<Juito con~
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1Ut,s- c «'.t> Winter 2003 [3
'Commentary Commentary
Overcoming Regulation Based on Innuendo and Litigation
The recent voluntary cancellation of Baytex (fenthion), the final result of the reregistration process, should serve as a wake-up call for our industry. A number of precedents were established during that Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) process which could spell trouble for the rest of our adulticide products.
Many in our industry did not become involved in the reregistration of Baytex because it was only used in Florida. That lack of involvement only played into the hands of the environmental groups attempting to have the Baytex registration cancelled. For those who were not involved, here are some of the highlights of the disappearance of Baytex.
The EPA held a series of public meetings with the people interested in the reregistration of Baytex. These meeting were attended by a number of people from the mosquito control industry, as well as individuals representing several environmental groups. As a result of these meetings it appeared that the EPA was prepared to reregister Baytex with relatively minor label changes and a requirement that Bayer supply some additional data. Then the U.S . Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and a coalition of environmental groups, led by the American Bird Conservancy, entered the picture.
The USFWS provided the EPA with unpublished in-house data claiming to indicate that Baytex, applied by the Collier Mosquito Control District (CMCD), had been responsible for bird mortality on Marco Island, FL. As a result of this unreleased data the EPA took another look at Baytex.
14 Winter 2003
The CMCD, and other mosquito control agencies, tried to get the USFWS data in order to study it and discuss it scientifically with the EPA However, due to the ongoing investigation by the USFWS, the EPA was prohibited from releasing any of the data. Unfortunately, the data has never been released. The only thing ever released to the public was an internal EPA memo discussing the bird mortality in very general terms.
Nevertheless, the lack of good data did not deter the American Bird Conservancy and other environmental groups from mounting a media campaign designed to inundate the EPA, several mosquito control districts, and other state and national agencies with emails opposed to the reregistration. Truth and relevance to mosquito control operations played no part in this media campaign. The fact that the people sending the emails knew little, if anything, about the issue was of no importance, sheer numbers were the objective of the campaign.
As a result of the political pressure exerted by these environmental groups, and the lawsuit they filed against the EPA, the EPA proposed a new label with a number of ridiculous requirements. One of the major requirements was that any district wanting to use Baytex would have to annually develop, have approved by the EPA, and follow what the EPA called an Integrated Mosquito Management (IMM) plan.
The requirements of the IMM plan were, for the most part, bureaucratic in nature and would have done little to protect non-target organisms. Most of the requirements were for record keeping. The EPA wanted to know every detail of each application of Fenthion, down to the
~ v~. 941- stweu
plumbing parts used on the application equipment. They also wanted to know what efforts the districts made to educate the public about Fenthion and mosquito control. While these would have been time consuming and, of little, if any, value as far as protecting the environment was concerned, the requirement for prescription treatment with a seven day limit on re-treatment intervals was particularly outrageous. For mosquito control operations in southwest Florida, this re-treatment interval was simply not practical-and it was based on litigation rather than science.
Toward the end of the Baytex reregistration process it became readily apparent that the litigants (environmental groups) were setting policy for the EPA During discussions between several representatives of the mosquito control industry and EPA personnel, regarding requests for changes to the Baytex label and IMM plan the EPA made comments such as " ... we'll have to run that by the litigants to see if they will accept it. .. " or " . .. we can't do that because the litigants will not accept that change."
So what happened to cause Baytex to be voluntarily cancelled? A variety of things, but lack of involvement by mosquito control districts around the country was definitely a contributing factor. While the AMCA was involved in the process, very few districts outside of Florida actively supported the reregistration of Baytex. This lack of support, combined with the media campaigns and litigation supported by environmental groups, allowed the EPA to make decisions that are not supported by science. Which of our mosquito control prod
ucts w111 be subjected to this same process next?
What can we do 1n the future to 1nsure that other mosqu1to control produe1s do not suffer a s1m1lar fate? GET INVOLVED! That means you, and the d1s1nct umversity, health department. or company that you represent Without the active support of our entire 1ndustry the EPA will con· llnue to be guided be pressures from enllironmemal activists. not sound science.
When the next mosquito control product comes up for re-registration, our Industry must make a concerted eifon to protect that product. regardless of whether 11 is used by an indi· vidual d•slrie1 or not. Any district that takes the stance that a particular product IS not 1mportant. simply because the district does not use it, is gravely mistaken. All of our prod· ucts are 1mportant to the Industry, even those not used by a particular district
Start collecting data on the products that you use now so that we have valid scientrf1c data to present to the EPA. Wrthout good data. the EPA resons to computer models, desrgned for agncultural applications, to determire such th1ngs as drift and deposolton The information from these models IS then used to determtne the risk to humans and nontarget organrsms. The models used by EPA have never been validated
for mosquito control applications. and probably do not accurately re· ilect the results of mosquito control operations. Th1s IS a ctass1c case of garbage 1n. garbage out.
Data on ground deposrtior and dnft of aduthcide products would be extremely useful. We need to de· termtne what Information EPA Jses In their models and collect that data when we make our applications. This way we will be able to present the EPA with valid data to verify the accuracy. or inaccuracy. of the1r models.
We also need to start developing field data on non-target impacts. or data indicative of this type of impae1, for our products. Here. actual tnals expos•ng non-targets would be wonderful to have. The degrada· lion rate of our products after appli· cation would also be useful. Most non-target studies are performed tn the laboratory wtth the specimens betng exposed to fixed doses of chemical lor long periods. We need to demonstrate that our producis do not expose non-targets to a continuous. high, dose of insecticide but to a rap1dly reducing dose.
Most Importantly we have io get organ1zed and develop campaign$ to get the public. our electeo offi· cials, and other mosquito control professionals involved. The EPA places great store on the shear numbers of comments it receives an
a topic . We also need to be ready to counter the negative media camoaigns run by the envtronmental groups. We need to be able to counter Innuendo. misrepresentatton. and outright lies with vennable facts.
Pan of this organizauonaJ effon should also be the development of a war chest to fund lawsuits against the EPA, environmental groups, or both to insure that the provisions of the Food Quality and Protection Act. which governs how the EPA regulates pesticides. are followed. The EPA IS required to make all of iiS de· cisrons based on sound SCience and we should stand ready to force rhe EPA to meet this legal reqUirement. If 11 takes a lawsurt to accomplish thrs. we must be ready to f11e such a sun.
Baytex is gone and we have lost one of our few weapons in the fight aga1nst mosquitoes and mosquito· borne diseases. Let's not lose any more weapons because oi apathy or lack of foresight and preparation.
'
Dr. Jdf Sti,ers Dirccwr of Research
Collier 1\to, quiro Conrrol Districr N•1ple-., FL
rmz .rwm flJJ1f11 fJfffffL1L'Ili , Training program s are developed
specifically for M osquit:o Control P ilot:5. ~f-a .Per i. -1t.
W11 offer: • Refresber Training ·R ecurrent Training ~ • lollial A/ C Transilion • Satetv Audits -
TeJ, 386. 405.4083 • Fex, 386 , .q41.9'445
P.O. Bo .. 73099 6 • Ormontl Beach. FL 32173 • ••••••. l un• f'ord a r r.co rn
1~U..r. Wintcr.::!003 IS
PESP Chatnpion Award
Mosquito Control Associations (in gray) that are PESP partners
PESP CHAMPION AWARD On October 11, 2003, Peter
DeChant, Chairman of the AMCA's Pesticide Environmental Stewardsh ip Program (PESP) Working Group, received a letter from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, informing him thattheAMCA was selected as a PESP Champion for 2003. The letter from J. Stephen Morrill, Acting Chief of the Environmental Stewardship Branch, Biopesticides and Pollution Prevent ion Division, states:
"We recognize the AMCA as demonstrating outstanding efforts towards risk reduction and exhibiting an extraordinary level of commitment to our common goals of protecting human health and the environment and promoting integrated
16 Winter 2003
pest management (!PM) ..... Your continued efforts at source reduction, worker certification, public outreach and surveillance for mosquito-transmitted pathogens, including West Nile virus are ambitious influential and broad in scope. A~ you know, PESP is strongly encouraging Members to adopt a quantitative system for end outcome measurement and your consistent efforts in this area are particularly appreciated."
Only 16, of the over 130 Partners in the PESP program, were selected for this recognition.
The s ixteen members designated as PESP Champions of 2003 are: American Mosquito Control Association,Audubon International Cooperative Sanctuary Program, Cali-
fornia Tomato Commission, CaliforniaAimond Board, Gerber Products Company, Glades Crop Care, Inc., Lodi-Woodbridge Wine Grape Commission, Low Input Viticulture and Enology of Oregon, Maryland Department of Agriculture, Massey Services, Inc., Michigan Asparagus Research, Inc., Monroe County School Corporation, Pebble Beach Company, U.S. Department of Defense, University of Wisconsin's Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems, and Walnut Marketing Board.
"PESP PARTNER UNDER THE AMCA'S AUSPICES" PROGRAM
Since the mid-1990's, the AMCA has been a "Partner" in the EPA's PESP program. The goal of this program is to promote the wise use of
continued on page 26
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5~rvice Produd.s Equipmenl Education
A Tale ofExtremes: J -;} ~ ~
Mosquito Lanae, Battery Add, and
Our mosquito research team is based in sunny Florida and if you live in or have visited the Sunshine State, you know that "Florida" is synonymous with "Mosquito Heaven". Clearly, we are working on the right subject in the right place. Our team belongs to one of two groups dedicated to studying the complex physiology of the larval mosquito midgut at The Whitney Laboratory (part of the University of Florida) in St. Augustine. The anterior portion of the larval midgut has a very high pH and we are trying to understand how this pH is maintained. One of my interests is to develop chemical compounds that will target specific enzymes present in the mosquito with the purpose of controlling either mosquito populations or the spread of devastating diseases such as malaria, dengue, and West Nile Virus. Having been born in a tropical country, I am well aware of the threat mosquito transmit-ted diseases pose to human populations. I am also aware of the scarcity of resources available to control mosquitoes or to treat the diseases they cause.
If you have observed mosquito larvae, you might have noticed thatthey feed using different mechanisms depending on the species. Some species obtain their nutrients from the water column while others scrape the bottom in search of debris and particulate matter. Even though different species feed in different ways, most mosquito larvae digest their food in a very similar and unique way.
Unlike other organisms, the mosquito larvae use alkali instead of acid for digestion. In fact, the interior of the larval digestive system can reach very high pH values. How high? Well ,
18 Winter2003
:O.aia Cleaner 41/tatu:a rid 'PdM-~- P~. 'D
consider this, the pH scale goes from zero to fourteen. Seven, the pH of water, is neutral. Values below seven are considered acidic and those above seven are considered alkaline. Zero, the lowest in the pH scale, is a pH value close to that of battery acid and is the most acidic a substance can be. Fourteen, on the other hand, is the pH of liquid drain cleaner, a
PhoCo Mana Corona
Aedes egypti laNa highlighted with pH indicator
highly alkaline material, and is the most alkaline a substance can be. In the same pH scale, our gastric juice (stomach acid) and that of most animals has a value close to two. In contrast, the anterior portion of the stomach in some species of mosquitoes scores an overwhelming ten and even eleven in some cases. Battery acid, liquid drain cleaner and the larval mosquito stomach all have extreme pH values. The first two are examples of extreme values for non-living systems and the latter is an example of an extreme value for a living organism.
How is this possible? How can something so little like a larval stomach be so alkaline? In order to an-
swerthis question we musttake a look inside the larval stomach. The larval stomach is called the midgut. It is a long narrow tube and in a mature, fourth instar larva it is as long as an uncooked grain of rice and about one third as thick. That is very small. The tube runs along the length of the larva and it is divided into three main sections: gastric caeca, anterior midgut
and posterior midgut. The anterior midgut is the region where the pH is high.
Maintaining a pH of 1 0 or more requires a buffer system capable of regulating any deviations from this value. In the case of the larval mosquito midgut, the buffer system is composed of carbonate and bicarbonate ions. Where does the bicarbonate come from? In most living creatures, bicarbonate is produced by an enzyme called carbonic anhydrase. This enzyme cata lyzes (speeds up) the conversion of carbon dioxide (C02) into bicarbonate and vice versa. It is
one of the fastest enzymes known to man and it is present in a wide variety of organisms from plants to humans. In fact humans have at least 14 different types of carbonic anhydrase. Therefore, it is no surprise that this enzyme is also present in the mosquito midgut.
In the course of our investigations, we have found that the high pH inside the midgut is buffered by bicarbonate, which in turn must be produced by carbonic anhydrase. This enzyme is present in the midgut. We have found that an Anopheles gambiae complex mosquito larva has at least 16 possible carbonic anhydrase-coding genes. We have been able to isolate at least two of those
genes from Anopheles gambiae, a mosquito that carries malaria, and one from another species, Aedes aegypti. This enzyme is necessary for larval survival in several mosquito species.
It seemed only logical to explore the possibility of using compounds that interfere with carbonic anhydrase activity to kill mosquito larvae. Such enzyme inhibitors are chemical compounds that can be designed to target a specific enzyme. They prevent the enzyme from doing its job by binding tightly and tem-porarily to the active site, the part of the enzyme where catalysis takes place. Our results are encouraging, although only preliminary.
In the case of car-bonic anhydrase inhibitors, hundreds of these compounds have been developed throughout the years and several of those have resulted in drugs used in the
,A.
such a compound is applied to the environment, any organism that has a functional carbonic anhydrase could potentially be affected. However, our preliminary results have indicated that a given dose of one particular inhibitor might kill mosquito larvae without harming other organisms. We have performed some initial tests in mosquitoes and in one species of fish, with the help of Dr. Harry Zhong and his research team at the Public Health Entomology Research & Education Cen-
How can it be done? We have found sixteen different genes that probably code for carbonic anhydrases present in the mosquito genome. Through molecular biology and bioinformatics, we have predicted that the structure of the active site in at least one of the carbonic anhydrases present in the larval mosquito midgut could be different than that of most carbonic anhydrases present in other organisms. If this is true, by isolating, purifying, and analyzing the structure
of this particular carbonic anhydrase we should be able to de-
C A - C. ,
_, sign compounds capable of targeting and inactivating that particular enzyme. We could also take advantage of the unusu-• •- _, r • •
... , .. ,, ... , .. ,
t •• ,. . . ..
ally high pH inside the larval midgut to deliver a low dose of this inhibitor through a "pH-sensitive" microcapsule able to open only inside the highly alkaline mid
treatment of diseases such as glaucoma and epilepsy. We have found that
Simplified representation of how some carbonic anhydrase inhibitors work.
gut. If the com-pounds prevent the larvae from maintain
some of these compounds are lethal to some species of mosquitoes. These findings are very interesting because the same compounds have been used in similar doses in other organisms without lethal conse-
A. In the absence of inhibitor carbonic anhydrase (CA), binds carbon dioxide (CO), its substrate, to form an enzyme-substrate complex (CA-CO~ that yields bicarbonate (HCO).
B. In the presence of carbonic anhydrase inhibitor{/), carbon dioxide is unable to bind the enzyme and the formation of bicarbonate does not occur.
quences, in the majority ofthe cases.
ing the proper midgut pH, those larvae will likely die. If we are successful, in the future we will be one step closer to a novel, en vi ron mentally friendly and mos-quito-specific larvicide.
It sounds like a simple solution to a difficult problem would be to design a carbonic anhydrase inhibitor specific for the enzyme (or enzymes) present in the larvae. However, it is more complicated. Most living organisms have at least one carbonic anhydrase. An inhibitor of this enzyme used randomly as a larvicide will target all carbonic anhydrases present in a particular organism. Therefore, if
ter (PHEREC) in Panama City, and we found that while one particular carbonic anhydrase inhibitor killed both mosquito larvae and fish at high and low doses, another compound, used at the low dose, killed only the mosquito larvae. These results indicate that it may be possible to design inhibitors that will target only the carbonic anhydrases present in the larval mosquito midgut without affecting non-target organisms.
Maria del Pilar Corena, Ph.D. The Whitney Laboratory
St. Augustine, FL
'U'iH-9 r?eaU Winter 2003 19
> Introducing a new_wave for envi science.
> Introducing a new_waV'e for environmental science.
ULV sc-Jies affler••M4t.in ·s. ~ magwnaw, ... ~
Introduction Ultra-low volume (ULV) appli
cation of insecticides from ground equipment is a standard method used to control adult mosquito populations. The ULV approach, both in terms of method of application and the formulations of insecticides used is not intended to leave insecticide residues on surfaces. The objective is to make the application in the air, where drift will occur, and mosquitoes in flight will come into contact with the micron size droplets of insecticide. These applications present a low health risk to humans because of the low dermal exposure and low mammalian toxicity of the insecticides. ULV applied insecticides are thought to have low deposition onto surfaces compared with expected, or "theoretical" values (Tucker et al. 1987, Moore et al. 1993, Tietz et al. 1994). Tietz et al. (1996) found malathion deposits on filter paper in
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::E 0.0 15 milnutes 12 hours
Tim e. After Apptlicati on
Figure 4. Post-treatment permethrin residues.
front yards (about 11 m from the street) averaged 88.8 ng/cm2 immediately after application. Studies conducted by Knepper et al (1996) determined that ULV applications of
malathion and permethrin over grass surfaces resulted in neither compound persisting much beyond 36 hours post-treatment.
Table 1. Surface areas sampled during study
However, questions continue to arise as to whether ULV applied insecticides deposit onto surfaces and form residues. If so, how long do these residues persist, and what risk do they pose to human health. Therefore, studies were conducted to determine residues of permethrin applied by ULV ground equipment. The studies were conducted in two county parks (Figure 1) located in Saginaw, Michigan. Residue levels were determined by
!merman Park Picnic Table Seat Picnic Table Seat Picnic Table Top Picnic Table Top Children's Slide Children's Play Digger Play Equipment Rail Play Equip: Tic-Tac-Toe Soccer Cone: Vertical Soccer Cone: Horizontal Play Set Frame Lawn Chair Seat Basketball Lawn Chair Back
Hand Held Slider Rail
22 Winter 2003
Distance 28ft 44ft 30ft 46ft 42ft 49ft 49ft 54ft 43ft 43ft 46ft 47ft 20ft 48ft
67ft
H.R. Wicks Park Picnic Table Seat Picnic Table Seat Picnic Table Top Picnic Table Top 55 gal. Trash Can: side Cooking Grill Water Fountain Seat of Swing Soccer Cone: Vertical Soccer Cone: Horizontal Play Set Frame Lawn Chair Seat Basketball Lawn Chair Back
Dumbo Spring Rider
Distance 73ft 72ft 75ft 50ft 52ft 58ft 32ft 56ft 32ft 48ft 54ft 50ft 32ft 51ft
21ft
placing filter pape~s on equipment located m the parks. After ULV ap~li~ations of two permethnn Insecticide formulations, the filter papers were collected and analyzed for residue levels.
Field Applications The study was con
ducted in two county parks located in Saginaw County, Ml in September 1999. The first park utilized was !merman Park, where Biomist6 4+4 (4%
Figure 1. Park sprayed during study
were then placed on wet ice for transportation back to the laboratory and stored at -1 0 C. Filter paper samples were analyzed at the National Food Safety and Toxicology Center at Michi~an State University by usmg gas chromatography for cisand transpermethrin.
Observations
permethrin, 4% PBO, oil . based formulation) was applied at an application rate of 5.0 fl.oz.min (0.0019 lbs Al/acre). The second park was Harvey Randall Wicks, where Aqua-Reslin (20% permethrin, 20% PBO, water b~sed formulation) was mixed at a rat1o of 1 part Aqua-Reslin : 2 p~rts water and applied at 4.4 fl.oz./mm (0.0019 lbsAI/acre).
Weather information was collected hourly during this study. During insecticide applications, temperatures were 17-18° C, relative humidity ranged from 34-46%
with wind velocity very low at 0-1 mph. Weather during the entire test period had a temperature range of 18-13° C, winds calm at 0-2 mph with no precrpitation or morning dew.
Fifteen surfaces (Table 1) were selected at each park with two circular shaped filter papers (185 mm diameter) placed on each surface (Figure 2) and collected at 15 minutes and 12-hour post-treatment. Seven additional surface areas were sampled a few miles away to serve as controls.
Prior to application, the ULV machine had droplet characterization performed using the hand wave method with Teflon coated slides (Summit Chemical Co., Baltimore, Maryland). During each application, two rotating impingers (John W. Hock ~o. , Gainesville, Flonda) were placed in spray area to capture insecti-
cide droplets for further characterization information.
Filter papers (Figure 3) were collected by hand using a clean lat~x glove for each individual sample. Filter papers were then plac~d into clean 8 oz. glass jars fitted w1th aluminum foil seals inside the lids. Jars
One truck-mounted ULV machine was used to spray both parks. Dr~plet characterization performed pnor to application determined that mass
median diameter was 19m ----------------------...for Biomist and 18m for
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Table 2. Hypothetical Risk Assessment Aqua-Reslin. The slide rota-tor placed at !merman Park
WHO Acceptable Daily Intake (AD I) of permethrin during the Biomist applica-is 0.05 mg/kg/day (50,000 ng/kg) for the lifetime tion collected a total of 496 of an individual. droplets with a mass median Assume that a child weighing 25 kg (551bs) plays diameter (MMD) of 24m. At with a ball28.2 em in diameter (equals 2,498 Harvey Randall Wicks Park sq. em. surface area). . the slide rotator collected a If one-half the ball is covered w1th mean 12-hour total of 137 droplets with a levelofpermethrindetected(0.6619ng/cm),then MMD of 17m for Aqua-total residue would be 826.7 ng (0.6619ng X Reslin. 1,249 sq.cm) Assume 12-hours after application a child plays with the ball and comes in contact with the permethrin. Assume that 10% of the permethrin is absorbed through the child's hands . Total amount of permethrin entering the child's body is 82.67 ng (0.1 X 826.7 ng) Actual exposure compared to ADI equals 3.3068 ng/kg (82.67ng/25kg body weight) . Exposure is 15,120 times less then ADI on~ da1ly basis. (50,000 ng/kg/3.3068 ng/kg) or a ch1ld could have greater than 15,000 similar exposures to permethrin and not exceed the daily ADI value for this insecticide.
Results from filter paper analysis showed that residues of permethrin of both formulations were detected . Residues for Aqua-Reslin at 15 minutes were detectable in the range of 0-3.49 ng/cm with a mean of 0.58 ng/cm per filter paper; 12 hour residues ranged from .006-1.49 ng/cm with a mean of 0.33 ng/cm per filter paper. Average Aqua-Reslin residue levels at 12 hours post treat-
continued on page 32
'ti!Ut9 i$'eatt Winter 2003 23
From Where I Sit: Notes From the AMCA
From where I sit.. ... The NPDES Wars. Since we last spoke, a great deal has happened regarding the impact that implementation of provisions of the Clean Water Act (CWA) will exert on our profession. Alas, our considerable efforts in mitigating these effects are beginning to bear fruit! Our estimable Legislative & Regulatory committee, headed by Dave Brown and Lucas Terracina, deserve a great deal of credit for spearheading AMCA initiatives to address this crucial issue. These initiatives include: congressional testimony by Roger Nasci and yours truly; letters to the EPA and various legislators; submittal of a petition for rulemaking to the EPA and extensive monitoring activities by our legislative advocate. All of these have brought considerable pressure upon EPA to more fully articulate its position on the regulatory status, vis-avis the CWA, of federally registered pesticides when applied in accordance with their labels.
As you may remember, decisions by the 91h and 2nd Circuit Courts of Appeal had called the tools of our trade into question as "pollutants", requiring National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits, for their legal application . The AMCA, in addition to a number of other professional trade associations, considered this inimical to the original intent of the regulation and began to marshal resources to convince EPA to redefine our legally applied public health insecticides as fully exempt from NPDES permitting. To this end, theAMCArequested a rulemaking by EPA to exempt our larvicides and adulticides from these unnecessary and redundant requirements. EPA reviewed our request and found it had considerable merit. Thereupon, the EPA published an "Interim Statement and Guidance" memorandum that redefined larvicides and adulticides as lying outside of the congressional definition of "pollutant" and, thus, being exempt from NPDES permitting when applied in ac-
Technical Advisor
cordance with their labels. This guidance document also notified the public that comments would be solicited prior to final disposition of the matter.
AMCA submitted comments fully supporting the guidance document in addition to suggesting changes to the definitions of "pollutants" in the Code of Federal Regulations that would underscore the exemption of larvic ides/ adulticides in the CWA. Furthermore, AMCA went to great lengths to involve the membership in this critical process by providing background documents, template letters, and guidance on the various regulations involved via e-mail, snail mail, and our website. All of this was meant to ensure that each of us had an opportunity to voice our opinions to the EPA and effect a favorable outcome.
Let me take this opportunity to once again emphasize the importance of AMCA members participating in the legislative process. On more than one occasion, Jonathon Pawl ow, Chief Counsel of the House Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment, has underscored to me the critical nature of making one's views known to their legislators. These legislators render decisions based upon the information they receive from their constituents. If they only hear from the No Spray Coalition, guess how they are likely to vote? Mr. Pawlow has also emphasized the importance of numbers in the legislative process-the more letters they receive from one side of the issue, the more likely they are to vote in the favor of that constituency. To be sure, AMCA can spearhead issues on your behalf, but we can be compromised by the shear volume of correspondence by those with agendas at odds with ours. Make no mistake about it - environmental activists are well-financed and can easily mobilize vast numbers of constituents to speak on their behalf - a fact not lost upon legislators looking to grease the
squeaky wheel. Our ability to counteract this with our own raised voices is a measure of our dedication to what we should all consider is a noble profession.
The AMCA Washington Legislative Conference, usually occurring in the April/May timeframe, is a superb venue for our membership to discuss the issues and present them in person within an organized context. I'll admit that I was somewhat intimidated by the whole Washington milieu the first time I participated, but I can truthfully say that the AMCA has made the process as turnkey for the participants as possible and I now look forward to bringing our message to those with the power to take action on it. Furthermore, establishing relationships with your representatives/ senators and their staffs can pay off down the line when they are in need of information on a mosquito control issue and they can put a name and a face to someone with the expertise to provide timely, accurate information. I would heartily suggest that all of you think seriously about attending and helping your profession continue performing its vital tasks. You won't be disappointed. In fact, I guarantee you'll return to your homes with a greater appreciation of the wonderful participatory democracy in which we live.
In the meantime, AMCA will continue to monitor legislative issues that impact our profession, act on your behalf when possible, and enlist your support when necessary.
Joe Conlon
AMCA T eclmical Advisor
'U'i~f1 r?eaU W inter 2003 25
'PCSP" conlmued fro111 page 1 (i pesticides. stewardshiP whrch results 1n reduced pestiCide risk. For the past 5 yeC~rs. the AMCA's PESP Working Group has offered to State and Regional mosqwto control associations. the opportumty to beCt>lne a "PESP Partner under 111e AMCA's ausp1ces". To date. the lotlowing assoc1ahons have iaken ad· vantage of this partnership opportunity:
Mosquito & Vector Control Association of California
Florida Mosquito Control Assoc iation
Louisiana Mosquito Control Association
New Jersey Mosquito Control Association
No rth Carolina Mosquito & Vector Control Association
Northeastern Mosquito Control Association Inc.
Northwest Mosquito & Vector Control Association
Srnce thiS program began, several mosqullo control programs have expressed rn lerest in their individual offrce becoming a ·'PESP Partner under the AMCA's auspices' Other offtces have demonstrated lnterest in an alterna.live possibility, that be· mg an AMCA-sponsored accredrtatron program. At the Interim Board Meetrng or the AMCA's Board of Directors in Savannah, Georgia on October 11, these two Items were rarsed as posstbilities for our Asso· clarion to pursue. The Board decrded nor to pursue an accreditation program at this trme but ro move lorward with the possibility of individual members applying to become Partners. The hrst step rn thrs process will be an lrpcoming survey to determine the scope of this Inter est wili1in our membership.
SUMMARY
Tile AMCA's parlrorpation rn the PESP program has been a rneanmgfut and rewarding endeavor The PESP Working Group ts very proud
or this recent accomphshmenr of berng recognized as a PESP Cilampion and ts rooking lor ways to further develop PESP within our Associatron. Please take pari in the upcoming survey, to help direct our Association as how to better serve our membership.
J'ctcr OeCh:mr Ch:llrm;m-PESP \\.,rking Gmop
o~~ug Carlson \Vorking Group 1VlcmbtJr
Owg Wu."""'"' Working Group Memhn
Retuvll'vLV'vg to schooL , f-tc-ls N evev -seell'v &c-lst.e ... or more worlhwhi I e. Ow 3-tlay ..:uurses ure designctl with
bu&') prnfes;iona" 111 m1ntl. '\o JJurr. 'ill Ullte:. retl rheorie.;.
Only biinds-o n. practical informal iun covt•f'ing all of the
hm rnpk:'> in mu'4Utlu c~>lllrultodil). Lcac1urg expclt~ 111 tht
i'ield will guide you r.hruugh each cuurse ........ don ·r forget tn
hring your mo~t pressing qucstioM. {Nu luuchbox re4uired.J
CC!LL 'i?00-3::2.3-57-::~:r or- G30-~4-2000 for course offer~vvgs § ote~tes
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150 Garden Avonuu • Rosella._ IL 60172 www elarke-mosqulto .corn
t~n• a iJ clarks 0 cia rlo;em\Ot.quuo co m
Glaba/5o/utions lor Mosquito Control.
Letters to the Editor
In his article in the latest Wing Beats, "Gambusia The Mosquito Fish," Ben Walsh indicates, "There is some debate over the effects of Gambusia introduction." Indeed there is! Had Mr. Walsh trawled a little deeper, he might have found an article published in JAMCA in 1996: Adverse assessments of Gambusia affinis: An alternate view for mosquito control practitioners. This article, which I wrote, has both supporting and opposing views from mosquito control folks around the world appended to the article, JAMCA's one and only forum article.
Where Gambusia is native to an area, it can be used without adverse effects, but like any exotic living organism, something about which Florida folks ought to be very sensitive-walking catfish, peacock bass, oscars and the like-it must be used with caution. For instance, the New Jersey protocol indicates that Gambusia not be used in waters where there are native fish. Biocontrols are not like pesticides; they do not break down in the environment. Gambusia, once released, cannot be controlled unless they are cold-hardy, and even then there are risks since there are cold-hardy strains.
Since Gambusia are native in states south of the Mason-Dixon line, one might with reason (and some sarcasm) ask why there are so many mosquitoes in the coastal regions of our southern states.
HenryRupp
The American Mosquito Control Association will have a digital image salon at the annual meeting in Savannah, Georgia. Mr. Doug Wassmer ofthe Pasco County Mosquito Control District [Florida] has volunteered to coordinate this effort.
The members of the association are encouraged to email digital images of mosquitoes, mosquito control operations and related topics to Mr. Wassmer [Dwassme1 @TampaBay.RR.com]. JPG format is desired, but others will be accepted.
The goal of the association is to make images available to the membership for power point presentations, etc. However, there will be no commercial use of the images.
Every image must be submitted with a title and the authors name.
There will be no judging of the images. The deadline for submission is January 15, 2003
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'h/"'9 t5'eaf4. Wmter 2003 27
Coming Events 2004
January 13 - 15, 2004 The FMCA 2004 Aerial Short Course Class wlll be held at the Lee County Mosquito Control District. More information will be available shortly.
January 26 - 30, 2004 The Dodd Short Courses wi ll be held at the Sheraton Hotel, Gainesvi lle.
January 30 - February 2, 2004 NAB FA will meet at Archbold Biological Station, Lake Pacid. FL. Contact Elmer Gray at 706-542-6097.
February 2004 The State Public Health Vector Control conference (SPHVCC) will be held on the West Coast.
February 10 - 12, 2004 The 8th Annual Southeast Regional Public Health Pest & Vector Management Conference will be held at the Sheraton Four-Points - Boardwalk Beacll Resort. Panama City Beach, FL. More information at PHEREC web page or e-mail Jack Petersen.
February 11-12. 2004 The West Central Mosquito and Vector Control Association (WCMVCA) annual meeting will be held at the Adams Mark Hotel, Grand Junciion, CO. Contact Sara Evans at 970· 304·6415 for conferece details.
February 21 - 26, 2004 The AMCA 70th Annual Meeting will be held in Savannah, GA. First Call for Papers and other information at AMCA Web Page
28 \\!mer 200.'\
New Product
AnnnrJn~RmRnl
Granular Media C0
2 Sachets
Enha11ce mn:eillance of hard-tn-collecr species
with a rlnw-release plwne n.f carbon dioxide
and wcuer rapor
Mosquitoes, Ticks, Sandflics. Tabanids
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John \V. H<.lck Comp;lll) I• Y ' 1:~.,- I i~U!,.,\Ilk . I I •1)..
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29Winter 2003Wing Beats
Hyatt Regency Savannah, Two West Bay Street, P.O. Box 907, Savannah, GA 31401 912-238-1234
http://www.savannah-online.com/hyatt
Ready for Spring Break?
It’s time to make your reservations for the AMCA 2004 annual meeting in historic Savannah, GA. The meeting will be held in the brand new, ultra-modern Savannah International Trade and Convention Center on the waterfront. A five minute water taxi ride will get you to the hotels, shops and restaurants across the Savannah River. Buses will augment the water taxi service. A room block is reserved at the:
Plan to Participate in the AMCA 2004 Field Day - February 25, 12:00 – 4:30.
Lunch will be provided!
Share your computer applications, equipment modifications, and field techniques with your colleagues. An invitation letter is going out and the Field Day Registration Form will also be posted on the AMCA website. Contact Jeff Heusel to reserve a booth at the 2004 Field Day in beautiful Savannah, Georgia:
[email protected] or 912-790-2540.
Don’t Forget Companion Tours!
¶ Historic Overview Tour: Ride around the city in the comfort of a trolley bus and see the many historic homes, churches, and sites around the city. Get off the bus for a closer look and another bus will be by to pick you up! $21 per person (Gold tour* is $25 pp, Platinum tour** is $27 pp – includes one free museum ticket; see below for listing). Offered daily 9 am – 4:30 pm (tour is as long as you make it!).
¶ Tea Time: Join your guide for a personalized visit to The Tea Room. Next, you will be escorted through the unique shops of Broughton Street. Then head to another tea room, The Gryphon, a beautiful historic building. Cost to be determined; Monday, February 23 at 1 pm (4 hours long)
¶ Walking the Plank: Arrrgh! Your “personal pirate” will entertain you with swashbuckling tales of the pirates of Savannah while you walk through the Colonial section of Historic Savannah. Then continue to a hearty meal (optional) at the Pirate’s House, once a favorite pirate hangout. $13 per person (bring extra money for dinner); Monday, February 23 at 7 pm (60 minutes long).
¶ Low Country Tour: See how the plantation owners lived at Wormsloe Plantation. Visit Bethesda Home for Boys, founded in 1740 as Bethesda Orphanage and still operating today. Finally, delve into mysterious Bonaventure Cemetery – a big hit among “Midnight” fans. $27 per person; Tuesday, February 24 at 1:30 pm (3 ½ hours long).
¶ Hauntings Tour: As one of the most haunted cities in America, Savannah has plenty of spooks and specters! This is a walking tour, so you will get a much more intimate look at the spookiest cemeteries and houses. $13 per person; Tuesday, February 24 at 7:30 pm (90 minutes long).
¶ Carriage Tour: Riding in a horse-drawn carriage allows a view of the city as it was originally seen. This tour transports you back to the days of cobblestone streets and carriage houses. The most romantic way to see the city! $18 per person; Wednesday, February 25 at 6 pm (50 minutes long).
Important: Tour selections must be made no later than January 15, 2004. Please contact me if you have any questions or would like more information – I would be very happy to help you make the most of your visit!
Molly Dobbins · Companion Tour Coordinator · [email protected] · (912) 790-2540
*Gold Tour includes admission to one of the following: Savannah History Museum, Isaiah Davenport House,
Roundhouse Railroad Museum, Old Fort Jackson, or Ralph Mark Gilbert Civil Rights Museum. **Platinum Tour includes admission to one of the following: Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace, Owens-Thomas
House, Andrew Low House, Ships of the Sea Museum, or Telfair Museum of Art.
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"ULV Studies" continued from page 23
Figure 2. Filter papers on swing seat prior to ULV application.
The ADI value is based on lifetime daily exposure and assumes 1 00% absorption through skin upon contact. In real life conditions permethrin applications occur infrequently and exposure does not always occur. One should also keep in mind that as the child grows and gains weight this AD I level increases while the residue level remains the same. This type of exposure would continue to be less and less compared to the ADI as the child grows. Additionally, permethrin breaks down rapidly in the environment and absorption through skin is likely to be much less that 1 00% of the actual amount contacted. Finally, exposure is likely to occur only a limited number of days per year rather than 365 days per year. This means that the average
ment were 43% less than 15 minute post treatment levels. Biomist residues at 15 minutes ranged from 0-4.48 ng/cm with a mean of 1.13 ng/cm per filter paper; residues at 12 hour post treatment ranged from 0-3.42 ng/cm with a mean of 0.99 ng/cm per filter paper. Average post treatment residues for Biomist at 12 hours were 12% less than levels detected at 15 minutes post treatment.
A risk analysis (Table 2) based upon the World Health Organization (WHO) Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) of 0.05 mg permethrin/kg body weight/day was conducted using the mean measured level of permethrin which was 0.1779 mg per filter paper (.6619ng/sq.cm) at 12 hours post-treat-ment (Figure 4 ). ADI is defined as the
daily exposure would be far lower than the amount measured on the surface of the
ball. Thus, the measured levels really correspond to values much less than the daily and yearly levels as calculated above. Accordingly, residues of permethrin resulting from ULV applications in mosquito control programs are unlikely to pose a significant health risk to children or adults.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We wish to thank William Jany of Clarke Mos
quito Control Products for the generous financial support to fund the gas chromatography analysis of this study. Thanks also to the staff of the Saginaw County Mosquito Abatement Commission for their
maximum dose of a substance that is anticipated to be without health risk to humans when taken daily over the course of a lifetime. Thus, levels of permethrin absorption by a hypothetical child would be 15,120 times less than the ADI for one day and over 5.5 million times less when annualized for a year's exposure. In the worst case scenario for exposure to the ball, using the maximum observed level of permethrin which was 1.2 ug per filter paper (4.48 ng/sq.cm) at 15 minutes post treatment, calculations show that absorption by the child would be 2,234 times less than the ADI for one day. It would be about 815,410 times less when annualized for a year's exposure.
Figure 3. Filter papers on picnic table prior to collection.
32 Winter2003
assistance in the implementation of this study: and finally to the anonymous reviewers and editors ior improving the manuscript.
REFERENCES CITED
Knepper, R. G., E. D. Walker, S. A. Wagner. M. A. Kamrin, M. J . Zabi k. 1966. Deposition of malathion and permethrin on sod grass after single, ultra-low volume applications in a suburban neighborhood in Michigan.
Moore, J . C., J. C. Dukes, J. R. Clark, J. Malone, C. F. Hallman and P. G. Hester. 1993. Downwind drift and deposition of malathion on human targets from ground ultra-low volume mosquito sprays. J. Am. Mosq. Control Assoc. 9:138-142.
Tietze, N. S., P. G. Hester and K. R. Shaffer. 1994. Mass recovery of malathion in simulated open field mosquito adul1icide tests. Arch. Environ. Contam. Toxicol. 26:473-477.
Tietze, N. S., P. G. Hester. K. R. Shaffer and F. T. Wakefield. 1996. Peridomeslic deposition of ul-
tra-low volume malathion applied as a mosquito adullicide. Bull. Environ. Contam. Toxicol. 56:210.218.
Tucker, J. W., Jr., C. Q. Thompson, T. C. Wang and R. A. Lenham. 1987. Toxicity of organophosphorus insecticides to estuarine copepods and young fish after field applications. J. Fla. Anli·Mosq. Control Assoc. 58:1 -6 .
RG. Knepper Saginaw Coung• Mosquito Abatement Commission
E.D. Walker Depanrnent of Entomology Michigan State University
M.A. Karurin Environmental Toxicology Program
Michigan State University C.A. Vanden•oort
Natiotlal Food Safety and Toxicology Center Michigan State University
[
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KeepiaagAedes albopictus out of the Lower Florida Keys
History of Aedes a/bopictus in the Keys
Since 1994, Aedes albopictus, commonly referred to as the Asian Tiger Mosquito, has been identified from every county in Florida (O'Meara et al. 1995). One of the few places the mosquito had not become established was the Florida Keys. The Keys consist of approximately 120 miles of islands linked together by U.S. Highway 1 (US1 ); the Lower Keys are located south of the 7 -mile bridge (MM 40to47). In 1993,Ae. a/bopictuswas sighted, by an unverified source, for the first time in the Florida Keys at Ocean Reef on Key Largo.
George O'Meara, of the Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory (FMEL), has been monitoring Ae. albopictus throughout the state of
4 ~ fl. 1Jtad Md &d4d 11{, '?«44elt
Florida for approximately ten years. He has collected specimens in the Upper Keys, just south of the county line on Cross Key at mile marker (MM) 1 08 as well as in Key Largo at about MM 101.5.
On December 16, 2001 an A e. albopictus adult mosquito was collected for the first time from the Lower Keys when a Keys Mosquito Control field inspector observed and collected the specimen after taking counts on Big
Figure 2. Mosquito habitat found near infested area.
Pine Key along 5th Avenue, south of (US 1) at about MM 30.5 (Fig. 1 ). On March 28, 2002, the first larval specimen was collected at the same location in a container.
Why Eradicate Aedes a/bopictus?
The unique situation of the Florida Keys (being small, isolated islands) encouraged efforts to attempt to eradicate the mosquito from the Lower Keys. There are good reasons to want to eradicate the mosquito. Of course, we would rather not add another mosquito (therefore vector) to the Keys. Additionally, the mosquito is a major pest and its presence would likely result in increased complaints and adulticiding operations (Moore 1997, Rutgers2002).
There are several reasons why attempting to eradicate Ae. albopictus in the Florida Keys might succeed:
1. Until this point, the mosquito had a poor record of colonization in the Keys. It was only found on a few occasions in the Upper Keys (and never routinely).
Figure 1. A~ea of Big Pine Key infested with Aedes albopictus. Blue pushpms denote approxim~te locations of Ae. albopictus
2. It appeared to be isolated to a small area of Big Pine Key, in a region less than one-quarter mile in diameter (Fig. 2). 3. The Keys are space-restricted; therefore garbage and debris, such as tires, are
36 Winter 2003
not usually brought into the area, as land is too valuable. 4. Recent research indicates that Ae. albopictus eggs are more susceptible to desiccation than Ae. aegypti (Juliano 2002). The Keys experience considerably drier winters than the mainland.
What Did We Do? The Florida Keys Mosquito
Control District decided to attempt to eradicate A e. a/bopictus from the Lower Keys after accessing the area where the mosquito was found. This area contained a junkyard, small businesses, some residences (vacant and occupied), storage yards, wooded areas, and a freshwater swamp. Several methods were used during the eradication process including: regular domestic inspections, routine sweeps (habitat removal), public education, aeriallarviciding, barrier treatments, adulticiding by truck, aerial adulticiding with fixed wing aircraft and helicopters, larval sampling, adult collections using the American Biophysics Corporation (ABC) traps, sentinel tires, and ovicup sampling.
Sentinel tires Ae. a/bopictus is a container
breeder. Its eggs are laid above the water line and wait for immersion to hatch; therefore, a common method to monitor for the species is with sentinel tires. Two tires were placed at the site of the first collection. Tires were checked on a weekly basis. Ae. a/bopictus larvae were only collected on two occasions. No species of mosquito larvae were found in the tires after July 30, 2002.
Routine inspections Larval sampling has been con
ducted routinely at Big Pine Key since 2000. During 2002, Ae. a/bopictus was identified from these larval collections. Inspections on Cudjoe Key (MM21) revealed Ae. albopictus larvae at two locations in November 2002. No
Figure 3. Educational pamphlet given to the public.
further collections have been made in spite of continued island-wide larval sampling and continued ovicup collections at one of the original sites.
Trapping Adults were collected using ABC
traps baited with dry ice from April to December 2002. Five to six traps were operated 140 nights and Ae. albopictus was only collected once in June; therefore, adult trapping was terminated after December 2002.
On January 7, 2003, ovicups were placed at six sites where Ae. a/bopictus had been collected previously. Traps consisted of clear plastic cups painted black. The cups were
Figure 4. Performing a barrier treatment with a backpack sprayer that was modified and mounted on the
back of a truck.
hung using a nail, filled to about one quarter full with leaves and debris, and then filled with water. A tongue depressor was placed in the cup and then collected and replaced each week. Ae. a/bopictus larvae were reared from one egg batch collected in February which resulted in a sweep of Big Pine Key.
Sweeps The most important compo-
nent of our eradication efforts were the sweeps. A sweep consisted of 12 to 20 mosquito control employees going, in pairs, to properties in the area where A e. albopictus had been identified.
At each location they collected larval samples, removed and/or treated containers, and conducted public education. The sweeps on Big Pine Key resulted in the collection of 464 larval samples, 130 tires, and three pick-up truck beds full of litter.
During the sweeps, pamphlets (Fig. 3) outlining the Ae. albopictus problem and illustrating the area where the mosquito had been collected were handed out to residents. When a property represented the potential to be a serious problem, the inspectors would work directly with the owner to resolve it. Through the friendly encouragement of the inspectors, several trouble areas were com-
pletely eliminated .
Barrier treatments Barrier treatments using a
backpack sprayer with Permethrin 57% or Flit 13.3 were applied to areas where adult or larval Ae. albopictus were collected (Fig 4 ). Between 2002 and 2003, six applications were made on Big Pine Key and one was made on Cudjoe Key. Though difficult to evaluate, it seems that the treatments were effective in preventing the spread of the population.
Aerial adulticiding One treatment was performed
on Big Pine Key in August 2002 after a special permit was acquired to apply Biomist 30/30 by
16''"9 r?eaU Winter 2003 37
helicopter. Roubne adulticiding was also perfonned by fixed wing aircraft,! usrng Otbrom. to treat Ochlerotatus taeniomynchus. These treatments most l•kely affected Ae. a/bopictus numbers as well
Fog trucks Ground ULV spraying was per·
formed at night after larval or adult mosquttoes were collected using Biomist30130 from trucks.
Results
The last time Ae. a/bopictus was collected tn the Lower Keys was on Cudjoe Key in November 2002 and on Big Ptne Key in February 2003.
What have we learned?
We have learned that Ae. a/bopfctus can establish ttself in the climate ot the Lower Keys, and since it was present from at least October to June. we can assume that it can "over-winter· We also learned that even when spread over a fainy large area. repeated and thorough search
and destroy missions for larval habt· tat combtned with barrier treatments and adulticide missions can knock the population down.
Have we eradicated Ae. albopiCtuit? It is diffiCult to say. Desprte continued monitoring, the mosqutto has not been collected m the Lower Keys since February of 2003. Unfortunately, collections have oc· curred in the Middle and Upper Keys smce this time.
As travel to the Keys continues at a high level, it seems inevitable that Ae. a/bopiCfus will remain. but maybe we can keep it out of the Lower Keys and Key West for another seven years. References
Juliano. S.A., G.F. O'Meara J.R. Morrill, and M.M. Cutwa. 2002. Des· iccatJon and thermal tolerance of eggs and lhe coexistence of competing mosquitoes. Oecologia. 130:458-469.
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Moore, C.G. and C.J. Mitchell. 1997. Aedes alboplclus in the United States: Ten-year presence and public health implications. trrtp:/lwww/ cdc.gov/nctdod eid 'vol3no31 moore.htm
o·Meara, G.F .. L.F. Evans. A.D.Getman. and J.P. Cuda. 1995. Spread of Aedes alboptetusand De· cline of Aa. aegypti (Diplera: Culi· cidae) in Florida. Journal of Medical Entomology. 32(4):554·562.
Rutgers Umvers1ty. Accessed 2002. Aedes afbopictus (Skuse). Rutgers New Jerseymosquito homepage:http:J/www.rci.rutgers.edu/ -tnsects/albo.htm
Joshua J. Vlach , Former Enromolo::!ist
Keys Mo,quito Control Disuicr
Edsel M. Fussell Dircc1or, Keys Mosquito
Conrrol District
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