Chemicals for Mosquito Control

Synthetic Pyrethroids – end with ‘thrin’ – are highly toxic to fish
Bioallethrin, Bioresmethrin, Cyfluthrin, Cypermethrin, Permethrin, Tetramethrin,
d-phenothrin, deltamethrin

Organochlorine compounds – not recommended due to environmental persistence and toxicity
DDT, chlordane, dieldrin,heptachlor

Organophosphate compounds – research required as mammalian toxicity varies
maldison, temephos, diazinon, naled, fenthion, fenchlorphos, dichlorvos, chlorpyrifos, pirimiphos-methyl

Carbamates – mammalian toxicity varies in moderate to low range
Propoxur, bendiocarb, carbaryl

Insect Growth regulators – non-persistent, bio-degradable, generally very low mammalian toxicity
Methoprene, diflubenzuron, pireproxyfen

Bio-insecticides – non-persistent product with low mammalian toxicity
Bacillis thuringiensis var. israelensis (B.t.i.)

Useful sites

NSW Arbovirus Surveillance and Mosquito Monitoring Program
http://www.arbovirus.health.nsw.gov.au

"Chemical means control the breeding for a short period only - it's not a long term solution. "The mosquitoes can also build up a resistance to the chemicals, which may kill off predators of the mosquito, and therefore benefit the insect." Jane Latchford in "Digging for disease"
http://wwwcomm.murdoch.edu.au/webster/K409.html or go to http://wwwcomm.murdoch.edu.au and click on Webster, enter 'mosquito' in the search field

Detailed descriptions of mosquito control activities in the Tweed Shire are available in this report http://www.tweed.nsw.gov.au/planningservice and go to DCP25

A Google search of Australian web pages returned 1500 results for chemical control of mosquitoes. Go to http://www.google.com.au and enter mosquito+chemical+control as the search terms to find out more information.

Return to Mosquito Control.