5 Questions with Ted Worster

1. What separates the In2Care Mosquito Station from other mosquito control products?

In2Care is the only product that is using the female mosquito to spread larvicides around. The product not only kills 100 percent of the mosquito larvae in the station, it also kills mosquito larvae in surrounding breeding sites up to 4,300 square feet per station. In addition, it contains an adulticide that kills infected adults in a few days (and reduces her desire to bite). This allows the female mosquito to continue to infect other breeding sites.

2. How can PMPs integrate this system in their current pest management control programs?

In2Care can be used as a standalone or with most currently registered spray products that are used for barrier treatments. In each case, best results are attained when accessible breeding sites are removed whenever possible. After that, In2Care will take over and use the mosquito to spread a potent growth regulator (pyriproxyfen, or PPF) to the rest of the breeding sites using just enough active ingredient to get the job done.

3. Why is In2Care specially designed for professional use only?

Because trap placement, handling of the active ingredient and knowledge of mosquito biology are important for successful implementation, In2Care is for professional use only (unlike other mosquito control products). Therefore, In2Care provides in-depth training videos and presentations for PMPs to maximize effectiveness and profitability as well as assist in selling your services to the customer. Because of these features, over 2,200 PMPs have already adopted In2Care into recurring services.

4. Is In2Care environmentally friendly and safe for humans, pets and beneficial insects?

The active ingredient powders inside the station are pyriproxyfen, an EPA-registered larvicide, and the fungus Beauveria bassiana, which is an adulticide that is commonly found in the environment. PPF will be spread to hard-to-find breeding sites via the mosquito, thereby providing sustained mosquito control. In this way, chemicals are not spread in the environment, which makes it harmless to bees and other beneficial insects. It also eliminates the possibility of chemical drift. Furthermore, the stations are made from recycled plastic and can be used for over five years.

5. How does In2Care prevent the spread of mosquito-borne diseases?

Originally developed with support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to help control malaria-carrying mosquitos, In2Care has taken that knowledge to help control mosquitoes that carry Zika, dengue and yellow fever with the development of the In2Care Mosquito Station. The fungus Beauveria bassiana stops replication of disease in the mosquito gut, thereby reducing their ability to spread.