Aerial Salt Marsh Larviciding

There are approximately 32,000 acres of salt marsh on the North Shore of Massachusetts, stretching from Boston to the New Hampshire border. Aerial salt marsh larviciding is a site specific application of an insecticide to control mosquitoes in their aquatic stages, before they emerge as adult mosquitoes. Two species of salt marsh mosquitoes lay their eggs in moist, muddy areas, such as depressions and stagnant ditches, along the upper edges of the salt marsh. High tides (lunar tides) flood these areas once a month, as well as storm or rain events, which trigger the hatching of mosquito eggs. They progress through aquatic stages and can emerge as adult mosquitoes in as little as four days in hot weather. Salt marsh mosquitos are known for being aggressive day biters. Without treatment, they can have massive breeding numbers from June to September and are an extreme coastal nuisance. See an example of this by clicking here.

When larval counts are high following a lunar tide, a bacterial larvicide, Bti, is applied by helicopter along the upland edge of our coastal salt marsh. See our Larvicide Product List for application information.

Salt marsh aerial larviciding by helicopter