By Nathan Bullock, VPMA Regional Director for Tidewater
For many of us living in Tidewater, we think that a dry spring should mean fewer mosquitoes. Unfortunately, that's not how mosquitoes work in coastal Virginia.
Interestingly, organized mosquito control in the Tidewater area began during World War II. Because of the increase in military activity, the U.S. Public Health Service launched the Malaria Control in War Areas program to protect service members from mosquito-borne disease. Much of the infrastructure we enjoy today was born out of those early efforts. (a)
In fact, the Tidewater area is one of the most challenging places in America for mosquito control. To understand why, we need to zoom out and look at the environment as a whole. Hampton Roads has one of the largest salt-marsh ecosystems on the East Coast, with over 1,700 acres of salt marsh. (b) Eastern salt marsh mosquitoes (Aedes sollicitans) lay their eggs on moist soil rather than directly in water, which allows their eggs to survive drought for months. (c)
Due to the tidal nature of the area, mosquitoes can hatch simultaneously after a single tide, which can allow millions to emerge at a time. This causes a surge in mosquito activity to occur after an otherwise lower period of activity. Also surprisingly, salt marsh mosquitoes can travel for 10-20 miles with favorable winds after emerging from marshes! This means that even homeowners well inland can be affected by this species! (c)
Not all mosquitos behave the same. For example, the Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus) breeds in small containers found around homes (flower pots, gutters, bird baths, toys, etc…) (d,e) Because of this, cities like Hampton are relying on science rather than simply spraying insecticides. Weekly elimination of standing water remains the most effective control strategy (g).
Municipal mosquito control programs throughout Hampton Roads emphasize Integrated Mosquito Management rather than relying solely on adulticide spraying. They focus on monitoring, trapping, surveillance and applying larvicides before mosquitoes become flying adults whenever possible. (e;f)
Virginia Beach alone reported that crews treat approximately 500,000 to 700,000 acres each summer through adulticiding, while another 1,000 acres of standing water receive larvicide treatments each season (e).
Officials emphasize that adulticiding is a late-stage control measure after mosquitoes have already escaped earlier larval control efforts.
For pest management professionals in Tidewater, there unfortunately isn’t a single solution for mosquito control. Salt marsh mosquitos, container breeders and freshwater species all require a different approach. However, every program that combines customer education with standing water elimination will be much more effective than just applying pesticides blindly. It’s the pest management professional’s job to help customers identify and eliminate standing water, maintain gutters, refresh bird baths, and remove unused containers. This is often just as important as the treatment itself.
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