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Miami-Dade County Mosquito Control continues weekly organic larvicide truck treatments using Bacillis thuringiensis israelensis (Bti)
The Miami-Dade County Department of Solid Waste Management will continue its aggressive mosquito control efforts on the ground in the 1.5 square-mile area on Miami Beach with a second truck treatment using the organic pesticide Bacillis thuringiensis israelensis (Bti). Crews will treat the area on
Monday, September 12 and Tuesday, September 13
in the pre-dawn hours to eliminate mosquito larvae. The ground treatments are being performed in conjunction with aerial spraying. This treatment protocol provides a double assault on the mosquito population, at both larval and adult stages.
Bti is a naturally occurring soil bacterium that is applied in either liquid or granular form to areas of standing water with mosquito breeding. The bacterium produces proteins in a crystalline form. When the mosquito larvae eat these crystals, the proteins attack their digestive system, killing the larvae. Bti has a highly specific mode of action, is of minimal environmental concern, and according to the U.S. EPA, "Bti has no toxicity to people." Bti is quickly biodegraded and leaves no residue.
Miami-Dade County has long used Bti in its mosquito control program to eliminate mosquito larvae. Both County and contracted mosquito control inspectors use Bti to treat mosquito breeding in large containers of standing water and in lawn decorations such as fountains or bird baths.
Bti granules are used to treat bromeliads which can be a breeding ground for mosquitoes. And commercially available Bti larvicide briquets are being used for the recurring treatment of the 150,000 public and private storm drains throughout Miami-Dade County.
Last month, Miami-Dade County conducted aerial spray treatments using Bti over the two-square-mile-area just north of downtown Miami. Those treatments were also a part of a dual larvicide and adulticide application protocol that was effective at reducing the mosquito population in that area by 90%. Mosquito control efforts continue in the Zika-affected area north of downtown Miami and include a series of Bti truck treatments to maintain low mosquito counts. These efforts are augmented with ongoing mosquito control inspections.
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