Dibrom (naled) - 0.46 oz/acre
- arthuroslund2
- Sep 4
- 8 min read
Updated: Oct 1
The Collier Mosquito Control District (CMCD) carries on extensive spraying of Dibrom (naled) in Collier County residential areas.
Golden Gate Estates | 11/13/2024 |
Ave Maria | 1/28/2025 |
Immokalee | 1/28/2025 |
Ave Maria | 4/10/2025 |
Golden Gate Estates | 4/10/2025 |
Immokalee | 4/10/2025 |
Port of the Islands | 5/19/2025 |
Ave Maria | 5/20/2025 |
Immokalee | 5/20/2025 |
Treviso Bay area. | 5/21/2025 |
Ave Maria | 6/13/2025 |
Barefoot Beach Area | 6/14/2025 |
Barefoot,Isle of Capri, Horrs Island, and Marco Shores | 6/17/2025 |
Southwest Naples area | 6/17/2025 |
Port of the Islands | 6/18/2025 |
Eagle Lakes, Links of Naples and Six Ls areas | 6/19/2025 |
Marco Shores, Key Marco, Isles of Capri and Goodland areas | 6/20/2025 |
Port of the Islands | 6/5/2025 |
Treviso Bay | 6/5/2025 |
Treviso Bay | 6/6/2025 |
Along US 41 from Eagle Lakes to Airport, | 6/10/2025 |
Marco Shores, Isles of Capri, Horrs Island, and Key Marco area | 6/12/2025 |
Areas along US 41 stretching from Eagle Lakes to the Naples Airport will receive a treatment of Dibrom. This treatment includes the communities of Port Royal, Royal Harbor, Lely, Lely Resort, Naples Manor, Winding Cypress and Fiddler's Creek. | 6/24/2025 |
Marco Shores, Isles of Capri, Key Marco and Goodland | 6/24/2025 |
Eagle Lakes to the Naples Airport | 7/1/2025 |
Marco Shores, Isles of Capri, Key Marco, Goodland and Port of the Isles areas | 7/1/2025 |
Golden Gate Estates | 7/3/2025 |
Ave Maria | 7/8/2025 |
Central Golden Gate Estates with | 7/8/2025 |
East Golden Gate Estates | 7/8/2025 |
Immokalee | 7/8/2025 |
Capri, Marco Shores, Key Marco, Goodland and Port of the Islands | 7/9/2025 |
US 41 stretching from Eagle Lakes to the Naples Airport | 7/9/2025 |
Eagle Lakes to the Naples Airport | 7/10/2025 |
Eagle Lakes to the Naples Airport | 7/14/2025 |
Golden Gate City, Vineyards, Berkshire Lakes and west Golden Gate areas. | 7/15/2025 |
Everglades City, Copeland, Plantation Island and Chokoloskee areas | 7/15/2025 |
East Golden Gate Estates | 7/16/2025 |
Everglades City, Copeland, Plantation Island and Chokoloskee areas | 7/17/2025 |
along US 41 between Eagle Lakes and Estes Avenue and in the areas West of Collier Boulevard between Johns Road and Jenkins Way. | 7/18/2025 |
Everglades City, Copeland, Plantation Island and Chokoloskee areas, Port of the Islands | 7/18/2025 |
Everglades City, Copeland, Plantation Island and Chokoloskee areas. Port of the Islands | 7/18/2025 |
East Golden Gate Estates | 7/22/2025 |
Marco Shores, Isles of Capri, Key Marco and Goodland areas. | 7/24/2025 |
East Golden Gate Estates. | 7/30/2025 |
east Golden Gate Estates | 8/5/2025 |
Ave Maria | 8/6/2025 |
east Collier County at State Road 29 and Oil Well Road. | 8/6/2025 |
Immokalee | 8/6/2025 |
East Golden Gate Estates | 8/12/2025 |
Key Marco and Goodland areas | 8/15/2025 |
Everglades City, Copeland, Plantation Island and Chokoloskee | 8/18/2025 |
US 41 between Eagle Lakes and Estes Avenue and in the areas West of Collier Boulevard between Johns Road and Jenkins Way. | 8/18/2025 |
Port of the Islands | 8/18/2025 |
US 41 between Eagle Lakes and Estes Avenue and in the areas West of Collier Boulevard between Johns Road and Jenkins Way. | 8/18/2025 |
east Collier County near the State Road 29 and Oil Well Road area | 8/20/2025 |
north Collier county along Vanderbilt Drive between Naples Park and the county line | 8/20/2025 |
Ave Maria | 8/20/2025 |
Immokalee | 8/20/2025 |
Ave Maria | 8/27/2025 |
Immokalee | 8/27/2025 |
Ave Maria | 9/10/2025 |
Immokalee | 9/10/2025 |
East Collier County at Oil Well Rd and State Road 29 | 9/10/2025 |
Ave Maria | 9/16/2025 |
Immokalee | 9/16/2025 |
East Collier County near Oil Well Road and State Road 29 | 9/16/2025 |
Ave Maria | 9/23/2025 |
East Collier County near Oil Well Road and State Road 29 | 9/23/2025 |
Immokalee | 9/23/2025 |
East Golden Gate Estates | 10/1/2025 |
Immokalee | 10/1/2025 |
Ave Maria | 10/1/2025 |
East Collier County at Oil Well Road and State Road 29 | 10/1/2025 |
In recent months, locations in Collier County have received treatments of Dibrom(naled) at the rate of 0.46 oz/acre. An acre is 43,560 square feet or about the size of nine football fields. At that rate of exposure, all the insects that encounter the insecticide are killed by contact with Dibrom. Are we supposed to believe that Dibrom sprayed at that rate is harmless to people, pets, and wildlife?
Dragonflies, birds, bats, and fish do not take any days off. They are always on the alert for mosquitoes to eat. They do not have to be notified of “a high number of adult mosquitoes” and then investigate to see if it warrants spraying.
Naled is banned in the European Union primarily due to concerns about its potential risks to human health and the environment, particularly its impact on groundwater and reproductive health. The EU reviewed naled and determined that it poses an unacceptable risk, leading to its ban. This decision was also influenced by the fact that naled degrades into dichlorvos, another toxic chemical, which can cause genetic mutations.
Here's a more detailed breakdown:
Human Health Concerns:
Naled, an organophosphate insecticide, can affect the nervous system by inhibiting enzymes that control muscle contraction. Overexposure can lead to various symptoms, including nausea, dizziness, confusion, and in severe cases, respiratory paralysis and even death.
Environmental Impact:
Naled is toxic to bees, birds, aquatic life, and even butterflies at mosquito control application rates, according to Wikipedia. Furthermore, the EU found that naled degrades into dichlorvos, which can have adverse effects on human health and the environment, including potential genetic mutations.
EU Review and Decision:
The European Union conducted its own review of naled and concluded that the risks were too high to justify its continued use. This review led to the ban, making naled unavailable for agricultural use within the EU.
Dibrom is a registered insecticide with the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and has been used in the US since 1959. Ingestion or inhalation of Dibrom, in amounts several times higher than those associated with mosquito control, can cause nausea, dizziness, salivation, headaches, confusion, and blurred vision. Severe high doses may lead to unconsciousness, convulsions, respiratory failure, and death. Direct contact with Dibrom may cause irritation of the eyes and the skin. You can take the following steps to help reduce exposure to Dibrom during spraying:
If you must be outdoors during spraying, avoid eye contact with the mist or spray. If you get spray in your eyes, immediately rinse with water.
Wash exposed skin surfaces with soap and water if you meet the mist or spray.
Wash any exposed fruits and vegetables before storing, cooking, or eating.
Consult your physician if you have any specific health concerns regarding the spraying. Naled is a pesticide used to control mosquitoes and other insects. It's important to be aware of its potential dangers:
Health Concerns:
Nervous System Effects: Naled is an organophosphate that inhibits enzymes in the nervous system, potentially leading to symptoms like nausea, dizziness, confusion, and in extreme cases, respiratory paralysis, or death.
Irritation: It can cause severe irritation to eyes and skin upon direct contact.
Neurodevelopmental Concerns: Studies suggest potential links between prenatal exposure to naled and adverse effects on infant motor function.
Other Symptoms: Elevated levels of exposure can cause symptoms like headaches, tremors, nausea, abdominal cramps, blurred vision, and difficulty breathing.
Environmental Concerns:
Aquatic Life: Naled is moderately to highly toxic to freshwater and estuarine fish and invertebrates.
Other Invertebrates: It can affect bees and other insects beyond mosquitoes.
Important Considerations:
Minimizing Exposure: The EPA recommends staying indoors during spraying, closing windows and doors, and covering outdoor items.
Ongoing Research: More research is needed to fully assess the long-term human health effects of organophosphate exposure from mosquito control.
Alternatives: The European Union has banned naled due to concerns about its risks. Consider reducing standing water to control mosquito populations, using screens on windows and doors, and using EPA-registered insect repellents.
Note: If you experience any symptoms after exposure to naled, seek medical advice.
Visit Beyond Pesticides
Dibrom, an organophosphate insecticide containing Naled, is effective against many pests, but repeated use can lead to resistance, a natural phenomenon where resistant individuals in a pest population survive and reproduce, leading to dominance by the resistant strain.
Why Insect Resistance Occurs
Natural Variation:
Within any pest population, there are individuals with a natural tolerance or resistance to an insecticide.
Selection Pressure:
When an insecticide is used repeatedly, the non-resistant individuals are killed, leaving the resistant ones to survive and reproduce.
Dominant Population:
Over time, the resistant individuals become the dominant members of the population, and the insecticide becomes less effective.
Management Strategies for Dibrom Resistance
To delay or prevent the development of resistance to Dibrom and other Group 1B insecticides/acaricides, the following strategies are recommended:
Alternate Dibrom with insecticides from different chemical groups that control the same pests.
When allowed, mix Dibrom with insecticides from different groups.
Implement Integrated Pest Management (IPM):
.
Use Dibrom as part of a broader strategy that includes scouting for pests, keeping records, and employing cultural and biological control methods.
Regularly check treated pest populations to identify any signs of resistance developing.
Reference
Dibrom, an insecticide used to control mosquitoes, is toxic to dragonflies and other non-target insects. The active ingredient, naled, is an organophosphate that attacks the nervous system of insects, paralyzing and ultimately killing them. Dragonflies can be killed by absorbing the spray directly or by landing on treated surfaces.
How Dibrom affects dragonflies
Highly toxic: Dragonflies are particularly susceptible to Dibrom, and exposure can lead to rapid death. One recent incident in Golden Gate Estates, Florida, reported that dozens of dead dragonflies appeared on a driveway following mosquito spraying.
Nervous system disruption: Naled works by inhibiting acetylcholinesterase, a critical enzyme in the nervous system. This causes the insect's nerves to continuously "fire," leading to paralysis and death. Insects are more sensitive to naled than mammals because they are less capable of eliminating it from their bodies.
Risk from aerial spraying: During mosquito control operations, Dibrom is often applied as an ultra-low-volume (ULV) aerial spray, which can reach and poison dragonflies while they are hunting or in flight. While the chemical breaks down quickly in the environment, the initial impact is highly lethal to sensitive insects.
Impact on the ecosystem: As major predators of mosquitoes, dragonflies are a key component of natural mosquito control. By killing these beneficial insects indiscriminately, Dibrom spraying can undermine the very ecosystem that helps control mosquito populations, potentially causing higher-level organisms in the food chain to suffer.
Environmental debate
The impact of mosquito spraying on dragonflies and other non-target species is part of a long-standing environmental debate.
Impact minimization: Some mosquito control agencies attempt to minimize harm to non-target insects by spraying in the early morning or evening hours when bees are not foraging. However, this timing may not prevent harm to dragonflies, which are also active at dusk.
Alternative strategies: Experts and environmental advocates often recommend more ecologically balanced methods for mosquito control, such as Integrated Pest Management (IPM), targeting larvae in standing water, and protecting natural predators like dragonflies.
Differing study results: While many sources point to the extreme toxicity of naled to beneficial insects like dragonflies, some research has indicated that certain aerial applications may have a limited impact on dragonfly and other insect communities. Other studies, however, suggest that the interplay between pesticides and other environmental factors has contributed to population declines.
Reference
When used according to the label for mosquito control, Dibrom (naled) is not considered harmful to mosquitofish; however, high doses are toxic. The primary concern for aquatic life is not the direct effect of standard, properly applied aerial spraying, but rather the persistence and concentration of the insecticide and its byproducts in the water over time
Degradation and byproducts
Dichlorvos (DDVP): A significant concern with Dibrom is its breakdown product, dichlorvos. This byproduct is highly toxic and more persistent in aquatic environments than naled, which degrades quickly in air, water, and soil.
Persistence in water: Dichlorvos does not bind to sediments and has a half-life of several days in aquatic environments, potentially posing a longer-term risk to aquatic organisms.
Reference
chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://consensus.fsu.edu/MC/naled-files/McIntyre%20et%20al.%20Effects%20of%20dibrom%20on%20conch%20larvae%20in%20Keys.%202006..pdf
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