What is Barrier Control?

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Years ago, it was discovered that by applying a perimeter strip of barrier protection, mosquitoes, while they were physically capable, would refrain from flying across the barrier, thus giving an area of protection.   This proved exceptionally effective for campgrounds, animal shelters and lots, parks, and other areas where it was not feasible to put insecticide directly onto the site to be protected.

How to do it.

Using a campground as an example, a typical applicator would probably use a motorized mist blower (not a fogger) that would have a very high air volume to blow the mist 20-40 foot or, a tank sprayer having a higher pressure pump, either of which could produce mist particles in the 50-100 micron range (that is like a very fine mist).  The person making the application would walk around the perimeter of the area to be protected - applying a light (not wetting) mist to the grass, foliage, shrubbery, etc. in about a 30 foot or more wide band.  To do this, they would walk at a slow steady pace and move the outlet wand or sprayer nozzle from side to side - applying the light mist as they go.

MCI's Methods of Application

Here at MCI, we use 2 different barrier control sprayers, the Residual Alley Sprayer (RAS) and the Off-Road Large Area Sprayer (ORLAS).  These were designed and engineered by Matt Welter of MCI and are used exclusively by MCI.  Both of these sprayers are truck-mounted, allowing us to do barrier control while on our regular ULV spray routes.  They spray a fine, residual mist that coats the habitat and repels and/or kills the mosquitoes upon contact for up to 3 weeks, dependent on weather conditions (i.e. rain tends to wash it away).  Each type of barrier control sprayer has a different purpose, as is detailed below.

RAS
This sprayer is used to spray up to 8 feet from the truck onto brush, bushes, tall grass, etc, where adult mosquitoes hide when weather conditions are not optimal for them to be flying.  This sprayer is used typically in alleys to spray habitats that are behind garages, sheds, etc.

Residual Alley Sprayer (RAS)

ORLAS
This sprayer is very similar to the RAS, except for its range, which is up to 25 feet on each side of the truck (50+ foot band width).  This allows us to spray areas that are inaccessible with typical spraying equipment.  This sprayer is used more typically on the edges of town to lay down a wide barrier of protection to help prevent additional adult mosquitoes from flying into the town area, but is also used for parks, playing fields, and other recreational areas in order to keep them as mosquito-free as possible.

Truck-mounted ORLAS

6-wheeler-mounted ORLAS

Mist Blower
This sprayer has a fan driven by a 65 HP motor and is used for deep penetration of dense foliage (i.e. non-maintained wooded areas, areas around old railroad tracks, gullies, along river/stream banks, marshy areas, etc).

Mist Blower

Other equipment we have available for Barrier Control

LPG (Liquid Power Gun)

Backpack Sprayer

Yard Sprayer