Techniques

Mosquito control · Types of treatment · MCS Structure

Biological

The greatest success in biological control has undoubtedly been the use of bacterial larvicides. Two of these products are routinely used at the MCS:

Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis
applied against larvae from the genus Ochlerotatus .

Bacillus sphaericus
used to control Culex pipiens larvae.

The toxicity of these insecticides is governed by the proteins accumulated by the bacteria. This makes them highly target-specific and means that their toxic effects on other organisms are very low. More than 95% of MCS treatments are performed using these two products.

Chemical

Adulticiding applications may at times be required if larvicidal applications have not been totally successful, especially in extensive landscapes or urban environments. The applications are performed with the most suitable products, using organophosphates against Ochlerotatus caspius and several pyrethroids against indoor Culex pipiens.

Physical

Physical control in the Baix Llobregat largely implies an improvement in water quality. Although both the existing sewage farms and those planned for the future are not served by the MCS, other strategies, such as the spreading of polystyrene beads, have proved useful and are being used by the MCS.

Educational

Finally, the MCS is fully aware of the important role which can be played by the citizens in controlling urban mosquitoes. A current example is the campaign that it realizes for the control of the mosquito tiger. Therefore, the MCS carries out educational campaigns in the mass media and schools and distributes videotapes, posters and leaflets containing control suggestions.