Pest Management Professional, March 2014

S P O N S O R E D B Y A Palmetto Mosquito Control technician uses a backpack sprayer to treat for mosquitoes get rid of even the smallest amounts They cant just blow and go Jenkins says about techs Theyve got to get into the customers heads This has to be cooperative or it shouldnt be done Customers are the ones who are going to encounter mosquitoes and then theyll hold you responsible For Linhares dealing with standing water is imperative There are some situations in which customers will have standing water repeatedly When thats the case Killingsworth technicians will add a larvicide to the site to try to prevent the mosquitoes from becoming adults There are 61 different mosquito species in the state of South Carolina according to Derek McLaughlin manager of Palmetto Mosquito Control in Charleston But there are basically two that cause problems the black salt marsh mosquito Aedes taeniorhynchus which is active before dusk and dawn and the tiger mosquito Aedes albopictus which is more active during the day While most mosquitoes never travel much farther than a mile or so from where theyre hatched salt marsh mosquitoes can travel as far as 40 miles Treatment strategies Palmetto Mosquito Control offers misting systems and barrier control The misting systems are more expensive to install starting at 2000 and most can be monitored and refilled with product as needed Still they can be effective Also the barrier treatment which is becoming more popular is available in two different forms including a backpack blower or a power spray using a hose Power spraying is a bit more labor intensive McLaughlin says But it works a little better and you dont have as much drift with a backpack blower We use the backpack blower for bigger yards The push toward green has settled compared a couple years ago but the company still receives requests from customers asking about environmentally friendly mosquito management To that end the misting system is effective with cedar oil as a deterrent Its a sound alternative for homes near bodies of water The rise in WNV cases has been a concern for some Palmetto customers but thats not their main concern or problem We have customers worried about disease but for the most part its a matter a comfort McLaughlin says They want to be able to eat outside or have the kids play in the yard without being pestered by mosquitoes Like ABC Home Commercial Services and Killingsworth Palmetto has experienced an increase of mosquito management revenue up 32 percent last year and 26 percent this year The specter of WNV is one reason many people add mosquito management to their list of pest management services Fortunately PMPs have numerous solutions But as with any tool it must be matched properly with the problem Weather conditions and location especially the proximity to water sources play a key part when deciding the proper pesticide application Educating the customer is one of the most important parts of that process PMP Dan Jacobs Contributor A Palmetto Mosquito Control technician treats a yard with a power spray www mypmp net Pest Management Professional March 2014 MM5