What Chemicals Will Kill Mosquitoes?
Malathion is one chemical that kills mosquitoes. Malathion is also known as an adulticide, meaning it kills adult mosquitoes. Scourge is another pesticide that kills mosquitoes. Scourge is comprised of piperonyl butoxide and resmethrin dissolved in petroleum solvents.
The New York Health Department notes that piperonyl butoxide is used to enhance resmethrin’s ability to kill insects. Anvil is another mosquito pesticide that contains sumithrin and piperonyl butoxide. Piperonyl butoxide also supports sumithrin’s effectiveness in killing insects.
Naled is another chemical used to kill adult mosquitoes, and it is also used on feed crops and food. Like malathion, naled is used by state and local authorities to get rid of mosquitoes. When applied safely, it eradicates mosquitoes while minimizing risk to human health.
Using larvicides to kill mosquito eggs is also effective. Larvicides come in different forms, including liquid, pellets and granular. The Environmental Protection Agency mentions mineral oil and monomolecular film as being effective larvicides, as they cause mosquito larvae to drown. Other effective larvicides include temephos, an organophosphate that destroys the nervous system in insects, and methoprene, a growth inhibitor.
There are also bacterial insecticides called Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis and Bacillus sphaericus. When exposed to Bacillus bacterium, insects have trouble digesting food, which causes them to die of starvation.