Your “Start to Finish” 2026 Mosquito Control Program General Planning Guide

Every mosquito abatement tech and public health professional knows that effective mosquito control requires year-round planning and preparation with targeted action. In the winter months, you’re focused on maintenance and inventory management, but before you know it, the efforts shift to early-, mid-, and late-season control. The stakes are high and getting higher with each passing season. We have seen the mosquito threat and associated disease risks rise significantly across the United States in recent years and expect this trend to continue.

Central Life Sciences is in a unique position to help mosquito abatement districts (MADs) and public health officials build a comprehensive approach for managing the year. With over 50 years of experience developing solutions to control mosquitoes in a variety of habitats, we’re here to help you win the daily battle against mosquitoes and to do more with less.

Here’s your program planning guide to meet the 2026 mosquito threat head-on:

Lay the Groundwork with Winter Maintenance

For mosquito control programs, winter is a crucial time for preparation. Proper offseason maintenance ensures that equipment, staff, and strategies are ready for peak season.

Make sure these key winter tasks are checked off your list before it’s time for early-season control:

  • Check sprayers, hoses, nozzles, engines, pumps, and any other equipment that plays a role in your day-to-day operations. Repair or replace any worn or damaged parts to avoid breakdowns during the busy season.
  • Make a winterizing and cleaning protocol. This can include flushing sprayers, changing fluids, stabilizing fuel, and cleaning trucks, traps, and other gear.
  • Stock up on PPE and other safety equipment. Make sure spill kits and other essential tools are available and organized.
  • Review office and laboratory equipment and resources. Ensure you are well stocked on lab supplies for single use, such as vials and reagents, and that your equipment is clean and functioning correctly. Scopes, forceps, dishes, cooling tables, and any machinery should be inspected, cleaned, and serviced or replaced if necessary. Computers, tablets, chargers, GIS databases and mapping software, etc. should all be up to date and ready for spring surveillance and applications.

This is also your opportunity to assess inventory. Think about what worked well in 2025 and assess where there may have been gaps. This means reviewing larvicides, adulticides, and other products to anticipate next season’s needs, prevent shortages and allow for efficient purchasing. If you need help, we’ve got the industry’s most comprehensive lineup of solutions at your fingertips.

And there’s always room for professional development. Take advantage of the offseason to get a pulse on the ever-evolving industry: update training, certifications, or attend industry meetings and webinars. Our Vector Vision newsletters are a quick and easy way to help you stay up to date with the latest trends, research, and best practices in mosquito control.

By prioritizing winter maintenance, you can set the stage for smooth operations when mosquito populations begin to rise.

Prepare Your People, Products, and Resources for Prime Time

If you use seasonal employees or have open positions, start your search early. Staffing in many areas has become difficult, and inflation and limited manpower are real challenges, so it’s important to optimize your staff and prioritize products that maximize results while reducing labor. At Central Life Sciences, we recognize that districts often must, “do more with less” – and our extensive line of residual larvicides reflects this need.

Investing in extended residual control products is a great way to save time and resources. Here are a few picks to help you get started:

  • Altosid® XR Extended Residual Briquets: a single application of Altosid® XR Extended Residual Briquets offers up to 150 days of control!
  • Altosid® P35 larvicide: provides 35 days of residual control in continuously wet conditions. With extended-release technology, this easy-to-use formulation also offers pre-treatment capabilities 15 days prior to flooding (pre-hatch).
  • Duplex-G® larvicide: Allows for pre-flood treatments with “Active Booster Release Technology” and two active ingredients that support resistance management.

Stock up on inventory now so that early- and late-season surges can be met with the right solutions, reducing the risk of service gaps and maximizing program efficiency.

Prevent Mosquito Populations in the Early Season Before They Spike

Rising temperatures, snowmelt, and spring rain create ideal breeding conditions, so that early-season control is critical. This is the time to focus on larval habitats and public education to help reduce mosquito numbers before they reach adulthood.

Bottom line: early-season prevention should include larval monitoring and mapping, larvicide application and public education. Here are a few of our product picks for your early-season arsenal:

  • Altosid® P35 larvicide: our pioneering insect growth regulator (S)-methoprene is immediately activated when wet and released to start controlling adult mosquito emergence quickly and effectively.
  • Altosid XR-G® Ultra: a carbon- and dust-free, clean (S)-methoprene granule larvicide formulation that controls the emergence of adult mosquitoes for up to 28 days, including those which may transmit vector-borne diseases.
  • Duplex-G® larvicide: delivers dual-active control through a combination of (S)-methoprene and Bacillus thuringiensis subspecies israelensis (Bti).

Early action sets the foundation for a successful mosquito season, preventing populations from multiplying after spring rains.

Sustain Success with Mid- and Late-Season Control

Here’s the peak! Mosquito activity and disease risks are at their highest mid- to late-season. Programs that pause mid-season or scale back too early risk outbreaks, disease transmission, and public frustration.

  • Continue surveillance efforts by monitoring adult traps and larval habitats to quickly identify population surges and increased disease risks.
  • Combine larvicide and adulticide use for integrated and comprehensive surveillance-based control.
  • Leverage adulticide applications for fast knockdown of adult mosquitoes with EPA classified reduced-risk products like Zenivex® adulticides.
  • Align staffing and planning with the busy season by scheduling resources and stocking products ahead of late-season spikes.
  • Keep the community informed about mosquito activity, risks, and treatment plans.

Maintain effectiveness as weather changes and mosquito populations persist.

Stay Ahead with Continuous Learning

Year-round learning helps MADs stay informed on trends, new products, and best practices. For quick insights on how districts across the country are innovating, check out our MAD Hacks series.

Confidently meet the challenges of the upcoming mosquito season at every stage. If you ever need assistance or advice, our team of experts is here to help. Contact us here to learn more.