Control of Anopheles albimanus mosquitos in southern Mexico by spraying their preferred indoor resting sites.

The traditional indoor spraying technique to control Anopheles albimanus mosquitos was compared with a selective method that targets their preferred resting sites in coastal villages of southern Mexico. We also determined whether mosquitos changed their preferred resting sites following insecticide applications. In the selective spraying approach, two 1-m wide horizontal swaths of bendiocarb insecticide were applied 0.75-1.75 m from the base of the walls and at 1-m upwards from the base of the inner roof at a target dose of 0.4 g/m2. A 2-year follow-up (1988-90), which included four insecticide treatments, showed that the selective spraying was as effective as full spraying for controlling A. albimanus. Also the mosquitos preferred resting sites that were not modified by the insecticide applications. Finally, the use of this techniques required 46% less time and cost 67% less than conventional spraying.