JAMES A. DENNETT, PAMELA M. STARK, NATHAN Y. VESSEY, RAY E. PARSONS, RUDY J.R. BUENO
Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association 22 (4), 707-717, (1 December 2006) https://doi.org/10.2987/8756-971X(2006)22[707:EOADSB]2.0.CO;2
KEYWORDS: aerosols, adulticides, calibration, droplet size, MMD, hot-wire instrumentation, DC-III, Army insecticide measurement system, DC-AIMS, mosquito control
Modification of the DC-III portable droplet measurement system, permitting its use under field conditions, is described. Under laboratory conditions, the system effectively sampled water droplets from aerosols produced by a dry ice/water generator and high-pressure syringe. Seven droplet sizes, totaling 71,053 droplets within 22 tests (dry ice method), consisted of 1-, 2-, 6-, 11-, 18-, 25-, and 34-µm droplets with individual (rounded) percentages of 45.25, 37.22, 13.85, 3.17, 0.45, 0.02, and 0.005, respectively, for each size. Cumulatively, 1-µm droplets accounted for ca. 45.25% of the droplets sampled; combined with 2-µm (ca. 82.48% together), 6-µm (ca. 96.33% together), and 11-µm droplets, yielded ca. 99.51% of the droplets sampled. The syringe produced 12 droplet sizes, with 4,121 droplets sampled, consisting of 1, 2, 6, 11, 18, 25, 34, 45, 56, 69, 83, and 99 µm with individual percentages of 15.43, 21.91, 24.58, 17.30, 10.62, 4.65, 2.93, 1.33, 0.63, 0.33, 0.16, 0.07, respectively, for each size. The 6-µm droplets contributed the highest individual percentage, and cumulatively, these droplets combined with 1- and 2-µm droplets, yielding 61.93%, whereas 11- to 45-µm droplets contributed 36.83%, for a total of 98.76%. Droplets measuring 56–99 µm accounted for ca. 1.24% of droplets sampled. Hand-fogger oil aerosols produced 12 droplet sizes (1–38 µm) at test distances of 7.6 and 15.2 m, with 1,979 and 268 droplets sampled, respectively, during 10 tests at each distance. With analysis of variance of transformed individual percentages for each size at both distances, no significant differences were observed for 7.6 and 15.2 m. Cumulatively, 1-, 2-, 3-, and 5-µm droplets contributed 82.87 and 80.97%, whereas 8-, 11-, 14-, and 18-µm droplets added 14.55% to totals at both 7.6 and 15.2 m, respectively. Droplets measuring 22, 27, 32, and 38 µm contributed 2.57% and 4.47% to samples obtained at 7.6 and 15.2 m. The average mass median diameter (MMD) of mineral oil aerosols obtained at 7.6 and 15.2 m were 19.55 ± 1.62 and 15.49 ± 1.35, respectively. Positioned at 15 m (50 ft) within a field cage test plot during 12 separate tests, the MMD values obtained downrange were less than calibration MMD values in 5 tests (10–93% of calibration values), but 1.1 to 4.4 times greater in 7 remaining tests. With exception of 2 tests, susceptible Sebring strain Culex quinquefasciatus mortality at the 31-m (100-ft) stake, 15 m (50 ft) behind the DC-III, was consistently 100%. The average MMD values for malathion, permethrin, and resmethrin (at 0.003 and 0.007 rates) at this distance were 13.24 ± 6.08, 7.48 ± 5.69, 16.64 ± 5.54, and 15.48 ± 2.89, respectively.