UC Mosquito Research Program: Aquatic Pest Control

University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources
Publication 3337
By Patrick J. O'Connor-Marer and Kathy Keatley Garvey

Pesticide Application Compendium, Volume 5
Published 2001 - $30 - 168 pages - ISBN 1-879906-53-8
See information on mosquitoes from Chapter 4

Spraying on the Sacramento Delta: Photo by Jack Kelly Clark

Aquatic Pest Control is part of the six-volume Pesticide Application Compendium, produced by the Pesticide Safety Education Program, then affiliated with the UC Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program. This publication is the recommended study guide for the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) exam in the Aquatic Pest Control category. It is used with Volume 1: The Safe and Effective Use of Pesticides, second edition, and the DPR's Laws and Regulations Study Guide.
Chapter 4 includes information on controlling mosquitoes and the diseases they transmit. Entomologist Bruce Eldridge, then director of the University of California Statewide Mosquito Research Program, based at UC Davis, served as the principal technical advisor for the mosquito information.

The 168-page publication, published in 2001, is available from the UC ANR Communication Services Web site. Says ANR about the manual: "This easy-to-use reference manual and study guide covers diverse aquatic environments including natural marshes, wetlands, and deltas; irrigation canals and levees; ornamental ponds in parks and golf courses; hatcheries and recreational waters; and municipal water supplies and drinking water reservoirs."
Aquatic Pest Control includes 54 illustrations, more than 100 photographs, and also has eight tables and 31 sidebars that expand on important points and provide calculation formulas. A helpful glossary and thorough index are included. See detailed information on mosquitoes from Chapter 4.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Using This Manual
Other Useful Pesticide Resources
The Aquatic Environment

Chapter One: Aquatic Weeds

Types of Aquatic Weeds
Characteristics of Aquatic Weeds
How Aquatic Weeds Are Introduced and Dispersed
Conditions for Aquatic Weed Growth

Chapter Two: Identifying Aquatic Weeds

Algae
Emersed Aquatic Weeds
Submersed Aquatic Weeds
- Submersed, Rooted, without Floating Leaves
- Submersed, Rooted, with Floating Leaves
- Submersed, without Roots, without Floating Leaves
Free-Floating Aquatic Weeds

Chapter Three: Controlling Aquatic Weeds

Chemical Control
- Properties of Herbicides
- Aquatic Herbicide Formulations
- How Environmental Factors Affect Herbicide Activity
Mechanical Control
Cultural Control
Biological Control
Integrated Pest Management
- Establishing an IPM Program

Chapter Four: Other Pests in the Aquatic Environment

Invertebrate Pests
- Insects (see information on mosquitoes)
- Crabs
- Mollusks
Vertebrate Pests
- Fish
- Amphibians
- Mammals
- Birds
Safeguarding Endangered Species

Chapter Five: Handling Pesticides Safely

Pesticide Labels and Associated Labeling
Material Safety Data Sheets
How Pesticides Injure People
- Routes of Exposure
- Toxicity
- Pesticide Poisoning Symptoms
First Aid for Pesticide Poisoning
Heat Stress
Pesticide Impacts on the Environment

Chapter Six: Selecting and Calibrating Aquatic Herbicide Application Equipment

Types of Equipment
- Servicing and Maintaining Pesticide Application Equipment
Calibrating Equipment
- Why Calibrating Is Essential
- Calibration Methods for Liquid Application Equipment
- Calibration Methods for Granule Application Equipment

Answer Sheet for Review Questions

List of Aquatic Weed Photos and Illustrations

Glossary

Index

About the Authors:
Entomologist Patrick O'Connor Marer served as the pesticide training coordinator, Pesticide Safety Education Program, UC Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program, from 1987-2004 when he retired from the university. Veteran journalist Kathy Keatley Garvey, a UC Davis writer and photographer since 1986, joined the Pesticide Safety Education Program in 1996, and the UC Mosquito Research Program in 2005. The photographs are the work of principal photographer Jack Kelly Clark, UC Agricultural and Natural Resources. Garvey also captured some of the images published in the manual.

University of California Berkeley Library, Water Resources Center Archives (Aquatic Pest Control manual) (PDF)
The Water Resources Center Archives is a unique library that collects contemporary and historic materials on all aspects of water resources.