Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 14, 2026

Visualizing Efficacy of Pesticides Against Disease Vector Mosquitoes in the Field
Published on: March 16, 2019
Effects of vegetation control on mosquitoes in seasonal freshwater wetlands
Sharon P Lawler1, Lisa Reimer, Tara Thiemann
1Department of Entomology and Center for Vectorborne Disease Research, University of California, Davis, 1 Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
Abstract:
Wetland restorations benefit wildlife, but wetland vegetation may promote mosquitoes. We studied the effects of removing joint grass (Paspalum distichum L.) on the abundance and distribution of immature mosquitoes in seasonal freshwater wetlands in California. In 4 >4-ha plots and one 29.8-ha field, joint grass was removed via herbicide and disking. Four untreated plots and one 4.1-ha field were controls. Fields were sampled every 7-14 days in early autumn by taking 75 dips along levees, plus a 25-dip circular transect 6 m from field edges. Untreated plots had 7 times more larvae and 20 times more pupae than did vegetation-removal plots. Similar densities of mosquitoes were found along edges and within fields.
Related Concept Videos
Freshwater Microbial Ecology
Microbial Wastewater Treatment

