Mosquito spraying also kills off nearby pollinators and other insects
Garamszegi LZ, Nagy G, Klein Á, Szentiványi T, Vásárhelyi Z
Pollinators
The bees, moths, and beetles visiting your garden flowers can take a 40% hit when nearby neighborhoods spray for mosquitoes, even though you never see the insecticide drift your way.
Scientists in Hungary tested a common mosquito-killing spray and found it worked, cutting mosquito numbers nearly in half. But the same spray also killed off a huge chunk of other flying insects in the area, including bees and other pollinators that gardens and wild plants depend on.
Key Findings
Ground ULV spraying with deltamethrin plus pyrethrum extract reduced mosquito abundance by approximately 47% on average, affecting both native species and invasive species like Aedes albopictus and Aedes koreicus similarly.
Treatment effectiveness varied by site, depending on initial mosquito density and wind conditions.
Non-target flying insects declined by more than 40% across multiple taxonomic groups, with small and medium-sized insects and pollinator taxa hit especially hard.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Spraying insecticide to kill mosquitoes in Hungary cut mosquito numbers by about 47%, but it also wiped out more than 40% of other flying insects nearby, including pollinators, raising questions about the true cost of mosquito control.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
The effect of ULV-based mosquito control on target and non-target organisms in Hungary: An experimental field study.
Ultra-low volume (ULV) insecticide spraying with deltamethrin as the active ingredient is widely used in mosquito control programs, yet its effectiveness against target mosquitoes and its ecologica...
open_in_new Read full abstractAbstract copyright held by the original publisher.
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