Word Spy - adulticide

(uh.DUL.tuh.syd) n. A pesticide designed to kill adult or mature insects. —v. —adj.
—adulticider n.

Example Citations:

When the mosquitoes are adults, districts sometimes use sprays that affect the nervous systems of mosquitoes, as well as other insects.

Those "adulticides" can affect animals and humans, as well — the household use of similar products is under review by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
—Dan Hansen, "West Nile virus piques interest in disease-bearing mosquitoes," The Associated Press, April 23, 2003

Larviciding involves the placing of pellets or granules into mosquito breeding sites, such as storm-sewer catch basins, in the spring or early summer. The pellets/granules contain agents that act specifically against mosquito larvae.

Adulticiding, which is the spraying or "fogging" of insecticide against flying adult mosquitoes, will only be used as a last resort. Public health units will be able to retain mosquito control personnel on a standby basis in case they are needed.
—"Eves government combats West Nile virus with mosquito control plans," Canada NewsWire, April 8, 2003

Earliest Citation:

As for controlling the adults that directly affect people, Dr. Craig said there were really no adulticides that are uniformly effective. The best one can do is to use a repellent that contains relatively high concentrations of the ingredient DEET (short for diethyl-meta-toluamide).
—Jane E. Brody, "Mosquito: The enemy reveals its ways," The New York Times, July 12, 1983

Notes:

With the SARS threat seemingly under control in most areas, attention is now turning to the next rough health beast, its hour come round at least, slouching towards newscasts and newspaper headlines: the pesky mosquito and its ability to carry and transmit West Nile virus. And just as the SARS cultural symptoms included a few new words for all of us to learn, the West Nile threat is sure to come with its own lingo.

Today's word isn't all that new, as the earliest citation shows, but it has become quite popular, with dozens of citations popping up so far this year alone. Subscriber Jack Kapica spotted the use of adulticide as a verb as well as adulticider.

Larvicide — pesticide aimed at insects in the larval stage — is much older, dating back to the 1920s (when a company called Soweco trademarked the term "Larvacide"). For completeness, those insects that go through a pupa, or cocoon, stage, can be targeted with a pupicide (1998).

Category:

Biology

Posted on May 5, 2003

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