Which mosquito control approach focuses on removing larval habitats to reduce mosquitoes?

• A. Source reduction
• B. Larviciding
• C. Adulticiding
• D. Habitat modification outside water

Answer: (A)

Removing larval habitats means cutting off the places where mosquitoes can lay eggs and where larvae develop, so the population is reduced at the source. This is called source reduction, which focuses on eliminating standing water and other water-holding sites through actions like emptying and turning over containers, cleaning gutters, draining puddles, fixing leaks, and properly storing items that can collect rainwater. By removing these breeding sites, you prevent the mosquito life cycle from advancing, leading to fewer adults.

Larviciding, in contrast, involves applying agents to water to kill larvae after they hatch, which reduces larvae but leaves the habitat itself in place. Adulticiding targets adult mosquitoes and provides short-term suppression without addressing breeding sites. Habitat modification outside water may help in some situations but does not directly remove the larval habitats themselves.