Drainage enhancement effects on a waterlogged Rhode Island (USA) salt marsh.

Drainage enhancement (e.g., ditch digging, open-marsh water management, runnelling) has long been used to reduce tidal marsh soil waterlogging and surface ponding to promote salt hay production and mosquito control.

Environmental management of mosquito-borne viruses in Rhode Island.

West Nile Virus (WNV) and Eastern Equine Encephalitis Virus (EEEV) are both primarily bird viruses, which can be transmitted by several mosquito species. Differences in larval habitats, flight, and biting patterns of the primary vector species result in substantial differences in epidemiology, with WNV more common, primarily occurring in urban areas, and EEEV relatively rare, typically occurring near swamp habitats. The complex transmission ecology of these viruses complicates prediction of disease outbreaks.

Evaluation of nontarget effects of methoprene applied to catch basins for mosquito control.

The mosquito larvicide methoprene is a juvenile growth hormone mimic that is widely used to control mosquito larvae in stormwater catch basins. This study addresses two concerns pertaining to methoprene's use for mosquito control. First, measurements of methoprene concentrations were made from water in catch basins that had been treated with methoprene and from an adjoining salt pond near where the treated catch basins emptied.

Effects of methoprene on oviposition by Aedes japonicus and Culex spp.

The mosquito larvicide methoprene is a juvenile growth hormone mimic that is widely used to control mosquitoes. This chemical disrupts normal mosquito development, drastically inhibiting emergence from the pupal to the adult stage. If the presence of methoprene attracts or deters mosquitoes from ovipositing it could have implications for mosquito control.

Efficacy of methoprene for mosquito control in storm water catch basins.

This study evaluated the efficacy of methoprene, a widely used juvenile hormone mimic, formulated as 30-day slow release Altosid pellets, at controlling mosquitoes in underground storm water drainage catch basins. Data from applications to 1/4-sized cement catch basins in the laboratory, field observations from treated and untreated basins, and an experiment that confined mosquito larvae in floating emergence jars in catch basins showed that methoprene effectively controlled mosquitoes for a month under field conditions and substantially longer under laboratory conditions when applied at a dose of 3.5-g pellets per average-sized catch basin.

Arbovirus surveillance in Rhode Island: assessing potential ecologic and climatic correlates.

During 1995-2000, mosquitoes were collected from sites throughout Rhode Island and tested for the presence of arboviruses. Mosquito trapping was done weekly from June to October with CO2-baited light traps. In all, 186,537 mosquitoes belonging to 7 different genera were collected, of which Coquillettidia perturbans was most abundant.