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Date: 8 Aug 2003
Posted by: Dominick Ninivaggi (Dominick.Ninivaggi@co.suffolk.ny.us)

From: "Ninivaggi, Dominick" <Dominick.Ninivaggi@co.suffolk.ny.us>
To: Jaschildt@aol.com, WESTNILEVIRUS-L@cornell.edu

Salt in high enough levels to kill mosquito larvae (and those would 
be very high levels) would certainly have adverse impacts on other 
insects, many of which would be more sensitive to salt than 
mosquitoes, which are pretty tough.  I don't know why you would give 
your horses salt water to drink.

The larvicide methoprene (Quick Strike, Altosid) is registered by EPA 
for use in horse troughs.  It would have far less impact, if any, on 
the horses or non-targets than salt, which you would essentially be 
using as a broad-spectrum pesticide.  Of course, what we recommend 
for watering troughs here is to clean them at least weekly.  Under no 
circumstances should you put salt in freshwater ponds unless you want 
to kill everything in them.  In NY, that would be unlawful.

Use an EPA-registered material that is intended for this use, 
according to label directions and all other relevant laws.

-----Original Message-----
From: Jaschildt@aol.com [mailto:Jaschildt@aol.com]
Sent: Friday, August 08, 2003 12:02 AM
To: WESTNILEVIRUS-L@cornell.edu
Subject: [WNV-L] Larvicidal Effect of Salt in Water Troughs????



       I was visiting a web site where they have the pictures of
deformed foals (the one with it's front leg's missing is featured and
others) and postings about people's misfortunes  from deaths to
stallion fertility going down to zero, all sorts of birth defects,
etc., that they attribute to occurring after having vaccinated with
the WNV vaccine.

        One of the postings said that small amounts of salt in water
troughs and salt blocks thrown into ponds will instantly kill
mosquito larva.

       Does anyone know what the ratio of salt to water in a trough
would accomplish this without negative affects on the horses?  And in
ponds, are there safe levels to do with without injuring innocent
bystanders like fish and dragon flies and bass bugs ... and the
environment??

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