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The German Mosquito Control Association (GMCA) conducts insecticide operations in the mosquito-infested floodplains of the Upper Rhine between Bingen and Offenburg. The work is carried out by helicopter and by backpack-sprayers.


Technology

The German Mosquito Control Association (german: Kommunale Aktionsgemeinschaft zur Bekämpfung der Schnakenplage, or KABS) is an association founded in 1976, with its seat in
Speyer Speyer (, older spelling ''Speier'', French: ''Spire,'' historical English: ''Spires''; pfl, Schbaija) is a city in Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany with approximately 50,000 inhabitants. Located on the left bank of the river Rhine, Speyer li ...
(Germany), by 98 bodies (towns, parishes, counties including Baden-Wuerttemberg, 2013 figure) along the upper
Rhine ), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland , source1_coordinates= , source1_elevation = , source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein , source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland , source2_coordinates= , so ...
to combat the problem of mosquitoes in the area. Of the 33 species found in the upper Rhine area over 80% are
Aedes vexans ''Aedes vexans'', the inland floodwater mosquito or tomguito, is a cosmopolitan and common pest mosquito. This species has been collected in southern California. Description The adult female has a bandless proboscis, short, brown scales on the ...
. It is not uncommon to find 50,000 Aedes eggs in a single square meter of river bank in a flood plain area. KABS employees carry out mosquito control on a 300 km stretch of the Rhine between Bingen and
Offenburg Offenburg ("open borough" - coat of arms showing open gates; Low Alemannic German, Low Alemmanic: ''Offäburg'') is a city located in the state of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. With nearly 60,000 inhabitants (2019), it is the largest city and the ad ...
over an area of around six thousand square kilometers. They exclusively use a protein produced by
Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis ''Bacillus thuringiensis'' serotype ''israelensis'' (Bti) is a group of bacteria used as biological control agents for larvae stages of certain dipterans. Bti produces toxins which are effective in killing various species of mosquitoes, fungu ...
(BTI). This work is carried out, depending on the current water levels, accessibility of the terrain and statutory requirements, either on foot or by helicopter. In both cases the biologically active ingredient, which is not allowed to contain living bacteria, is applied in areas of water where the larvae breed. The agent must then be ingested by the larvae, as only then is it activated and leads to a breakup of intestinal cells, and thus extremely selectively kills the organisms.


Distribution

The active substance is mixed with water and distributed with a backpack sprayer by workers on foot, or applied as an ice granulate from the air by helicopter. In 2007, 260 tons of the agent were spread by the two available helicopters and 250 helpers, on 84 action days of which 47 were supported by helicopter. This involved 33,000 working hours and 270,000 kilometers travelled. At a cost of €400,000 annually, the result is a reduction of the mosquito population by 99% compared to untreated areas. The time of application is critical for the efficiency of the treatment. Mosquitoes lay their eggs in hollows above the normal water level, and they are activated when flood levels are reached. Treatment must follow within a week. In addition, residents of the KABS areas are supplied with '' Culinex'' tablets free of charge in order to treat smaller bodies of water such as rainwater tanks and garden ponds which do not contain fish. A single barrel can be a source of several hundred mosquitoes.


Association

The president of the association is Paul Schädler, scientific director of KABS is Norbert Becker. It is financed by subscription (membership fees of the 98 affiliated municipal areas). For a city such as Wiesbaden (population 570,000) this means a fee of €45,000 per year.


International activity

KABS also makes its expertise internationally available. Under its English name of German Mosquito Control Association it supports the world-wide mosquito control programme of the WHO and is member of the
World Mosquito Control Association In its most general sense, the term "world" refers to the totality of entities, to the whole of reality or to everything that is. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the worl ...
.WHO publications: Guideline Specifications for Bacterial Larvicides for Public Health Use, S. 32


Current developments

As flood protection is becoming ever more prevalent, the near future will see an increase in low-lying land. These planned flood areas will be further breeding ground for mosquitoes and will require additional effort which will probably require a third helicopter.


References


Literature

*Norbert Becker, Paul Glaser, Hermann Magin: Biologische Stechmückenbekämpfung am Oberrhein, (Festschrift) 20 Jahre Kommunale Aktionsgemeinschaft zur Bekämpfung der Schnakenplage, 1996, (Biological Gnat Control on the Upper Rhine (publication) 20 years of a communal action association to combat the gnat plague, 1996) *Norbert Becker: Biological control of mosquitoes: management of the Upper Rhine mosquito population as a model programme in Jørgen Eilenberg, Heikki M. T. Hokkanen (eds.): An ecological and societal approach to biological control, Springer, 2006, p. 227–245, (Print) (Online)


External links

* Paul Schädler President of KABS {{Authority control Scientific organisations based in Germany Conservation and environmental foundations Upper Rhine