Gambusia is a tiny mosquito eating fish that can be grown very easily as the City of Fort Worth and other cities are currently doing. Gambusia should also be made available with proper release instructions and distributed to water features, ponds and creeks across the problem areas. Bti and Gambusia can be used together.

Bacillus thuringiensis was first discovered in 1911 as a pathogen of flour moths from the province of Thuringia, Germany. It was first used as a commercial insecticide in France in 1938, and then in the USA in the 1950s. However, these early products were replaced by more effective ones in the 1960s, when various highly pathogenic strains were discovered with particular activity against different types of insect. An archival page with information about BT

For many years, Bt was available only for control of lepidoptera, using a highly potent strain (B. thuringiensis var kurstaki). This strain still forms the basis of many Bt formulations. Further screening of a large number of other Bt strains revealed some that are active against larvae of coleoptera (beetles) or diptera (small flies, mosquitoes). Most of these strains have the same basic toxin structure, but differ in insect host range, perhaps because of different degrees of binding affinity to the toxin receptors in the insect gut. For example, the toxins produced by B. thuringiensis var aizawai have somewhat different toxins from those of B.t. var kurstaki and they are highly specific to lepidoptera, with no effect on other insects. The many commercial strains for control of lepidoptera are marketed under various trade names such as Biobit®, Dipel®, Javelin®, etc.

Spray Toxic Chemical at Night

It didn't deal with the various stages of mosquitoes

It tended to harm beneficial insects, wildlife, and humans and their pets.

PLEASE - you are making three remarkable statements

SOURCES???????

Sincerely,
Gargoyle

dammm, and vandam again .... I know I should not plunge "below the line" into the piss hole.

West Nile Virus is the most overblown health threat since the "killer bees." Yes, people have gotten sick and a few have even died from WNV, but people need to try to put things into perspective. Unfortunately, a few people have died this year from WNV, but thousands of people have died from asthma and other respiratory diseases.

The city of Fort Worth, TX has impressed me. They have done the right thing. They have realized that spraying does more harm than good and has spent their effort educating homeowners. The city of Dallas and other metropolitan areas across the country have been foolish. These cities have listened to the chemical pushers under the misconception that spraying toxic chemicals is helpful in controlling the mosquitoes.

Spraying toxic chemical pesticides, known generically as synthetic pyrethroids, has been the primary recommendation. Besides being toxic, this procedure doesn't work. An adult mosquito spray program conducted late at night, as is usually done, misses the primary activity time of the pests. It also sprays or fogs down streets primarily affecting front yards of residential property. Most mosquito problems are in back yards. When these airborne toxins reach water features, ponds and creeks, a common result is the death of fish including goldfish and koi.

The risk of getting West Nile virus is remote. A very small percentage of mosquitoes have the virus, an even smaller percentage of people exposed to the virus develop symptoms and a minute percentage of those people even get sick. Deaths? Well, there are tremendously larger numbers of people who die from asthma and other respiratory diseases. Even the experts who push the toxic spraying admit that the pyrethrum and pyrethroid products adversely effect those with allergies and can actually cause those problems.

Spraying toxic chemicals for the control of mosquitoes is a waste of money, an unnecessary assault on people, pets and the environment – plus it simply doesn't work. There are very few adult mosquitoes flying around early in the morning when the spraying is done plus there is a good argument that the spraying actually increases the mosquito problem by killing beneficial insects such as dragonflies that help control mosquitoes.

Synthetic pyrethroids like Scourge (resmethrin) are particularly hard on people with asthma and other allergies. These toxic products now contain piperonyl butoxide (PBO), a synthetic synergist that interferes with the insect's system of neutralizing toxins. PBO makes the pesticide more effective at killing the targeted pest, but that override of the body's detox system is also a concern for all other animals including birds, lizards, toads, frogs, beneficial insects, pets and humans. MSDS sheets (Material Safety Data Sheets) on these products available from pesticide manufactures point out that liver tumor increases in test animals has been significant. Of course, they claim that humans aren't in danger.

Rational, effective control of mosquitoes results from removing or treating stagnant water with biological products, horticultural oils or gambusia fish and wearing non-toxic repellents on the skin.

If spraying the air to try to repel or kill adult biting mosquitoes is required, there are highly effective non-toxic alternatives. They include garlic oil, cedar oil, mint oil, orange oil, and cinnamon – just to mention a few. And yes, there is university research on these products and techniques.