2 - Refinement of AGDISP for wide-area space sprays in mosquito control

The mechanistic model AGDISP™, developed to predict pesticide fate in the environment, is unique to aerial pesticide applications, and the EPA uses it to make regulatory decisions related to spray drift from crewed aerial applications. A primary concern is that the current input parameters for AGDISP™ are for an open field that reflects agricultural paradigms instead of mosquito control. Even though AGDISP™ is an accepted regulatory model, it has not been validated for mosquito control. Input parameters must be investigated to better reflect how and where wide-area mosquito adulticide applications are conducted. The model needs to reflect better the effect of the habitat on spray dispersal, dilution, degradation, and ultimately removal of the pesticide.
The American Mosquito Control Association has secured a grant to work toward the refinement of this model; to provide a better understanding of the distribution of residues from operationally relevant applications in heterogeneous environments to predict potential impacts on non-target organisms. Ultimately, refined models would allow for more efficacious applications while not creating excessive limitations on the chemicals available.
This presentation will provide an overview of the experimental plan. Each treatment will include an open field versus a vegetative habitat, possibly adding an intermediary suburban filtration model. The two different habitats will be treated at the lowest operational altitude, with three distinct airframes: a crewed rotary, crewed fixed wing, and Uncrewed Aerial Spray System (UASS) over a range of meteorological conditions. This is an exciting new endeavour which will mesh a multitude of studies to formally underscore the importance of space spraying in mosquito control.