Knowing how pesticides impact the target is key to understanding mosquito treatments

Nisus

Have you ever observed that even after a pesticide is applied for mosquitoes, they still fly into and land in the treated area, and even continue to bite people? Let’s explore why.

Knowing how the pesticides you use impact the target pests is key to understanding mosquito treatments so you can adapt application methods to your best advantage. Many “repellent insecticides,” as used in our industry, are not true repellents. A true repellent is active in the vapor phase, causing insects to move away from the source at a distance, and they do not require surface contact. When a mosquito flies into a true repellent zone, such as an aromatic botanical pesticide, it is immediately repelled by the vapor from a distance.

By contrast, synthetic pyrethroids, commonly used in mosquito control, are excitorepellents. For excitorepellents to work, insects must physically contact the treated surface, and the neurological effects take a few minutes to kick in. This fact also means mosquitoes may continue to enter treated zones because they only detect the pesticide after contact and after time has passed.

Adding a true repellent to your mosquito treatment or widening the coverage zone farther away from the structure can significantly reduce bites and callbacks by keeping mosquitoes farther away.