The community‐wide effectiveness of municipal larval control programs for West Nile virus risk reduction in Connecticut, USA

BACKGROUND Mosquito larval control through the use of insecticides is the most common strategy for suppressing West Nile virus (WNV) vector populations in Connecticut (CT), USA. To evaluate the ability of larval control to reduce entomological risk metrics associated with WNV, we performed WNV surveillance and assessments of municipal larvicide application programs in Milford and Stratford, CT in 2019 and 2020. Each town treated catch basins and nonbasin habitats (Milford only) with biopesticide products during both WNV transmission seasons. Adult mosquitoes were collected weekly with gravid and CO2‐baited light traps and tested for WNV; larvae and pupae were sampled weekly from basins within 500 m of trapping sites, and Culex pipiens larval mortality was determined with laboratory bioassays of catch basin water samples. RESULTS Declines in 4th instar larvae and pupae were observed in catch basins up to 2‐week post‐treatment, and we detected a positive relationship between adult female C. pipiens collections in gravid traps and pupal abundance in basins. We also detected a significant difference in total light trap collections between the two towns. Despite these findings, C. pipiens adult collections and WNV mosquito infection prevalence in gravid traps were similar between towns. CONCLUSION Larvicide applications reduced pupal abundance and the prevalence of host‐seeking adults with no detectable impact on entomological risk metrics for WNV. Further research is needed to better determine the level of mosquito larval control required to reduce WNV transmission risk. Town‐wide larval control reduced the number of larvae in catch basins, yet had little impact on adult mosquito abundance and West Nile virus infection prevalence. © 2021 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.