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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Gainesville, Florida » Center for Medical, Agricultural and Veterinary Entomology » Mosquito and Fly Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #288613
Title: Effectiveness of the Area-wide Pest Management Program to Control Asian Tiger Mosquito in New Jersey: Evidence from a Household Survey

Author
item HALASA, YARA - Brandeis University
item SHEPARD, DONALD - Brandeis University
item WITTENBERG, EVE - Brandeis University
item FONESCA, DINA - Rutgers Agriculture Research & Extension Center
item FARAJOLLAHI, ARY - Mercer County
item HEALY, SEAN - Monmouth County
item GAUGLER, RANDY - Rutgers Agriculture Research & Extension Center
item BARTLETT-HEALY, KRISTEN - Rutgers Agriculture Research & Extension Center
item Strickman, Daniel
item Clark, Gary

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/15/2012
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Households’ behaviors can both mitigate and measure the spread of urban mosquitos. Beginning in 2009, a comprehensive area-wide pest management (AWPM) project to control Aedes albopictus was implemented in 4 areas in Monmouth and Mercer Counties, New Jersey. Including other activities, the project focused on increasing residents’ awareness, knowledge, and mosquito control practices. Evaluating the impact of this component is important to guide future AWPM programs. We analyzed household surveys conducted in the baseline year, 2008 (310 households), and second intervention year, 2010 (396 households) in AWPM and control areas. We measured changes in hours and mitigation expenditures (e.g., repellents) from 2008 to 2010 in AWPM areas and compared results to corresponding changes in control areas. The average proportion of potential outdoor hours lost due to mosquitoes in intervention areas decreased (±SEM) from 29.7%±2.6% in 2008 to 24.3%±2.1% in 2010. Findings showed a net improvement of 7.0%±4.3% or an additional 1.89±1.9 hours spent in porch or yard activities due to AWPM (p=0.10). The share of residents bothered by mosquitoes in AWPM areas decreased from 68.6% in 2008 to 46.0% in 2010, with a net reduction in mosquitoes’ nuisance of 11.6% (p=0.11). The percentage of respondents who reported cleaning their gutters in the last 12 months increased from 21.2%±3.5% in 2008 to 49.8%±3.4% in 2010, with a favorable net impact of 9.8%±7.0% of AWPM (p=.08) . The AWPM had favorable net reduction of 7.0%±5.3 in the share of households storing tires (p=.09) and a highly significant net increase of 20.4%±7.5 in the percentage of households who correctly reported the maximum number of days allowed to remove standing water to avoid breeding mosquitoes (p<.001). Analyses through 2010 found no statistically significant impact on expenditures. Nevertheless, the project has been effective in reducing the nuisance caused by urban mosquitoes and had a favorable impact on knowledge and several yard and porch activities. Data for 2011, to be added, will provide longer term impacts.