Which term describes mosquitofish or Bti use to control mosquitoes?

• A. Biological Control
• B. Larvicide
• C. Gravid Trap
• D. Source Reduction

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is categorizing mosquito control methods by the type of tool used. Mosquitofish and Bti both rely on natural agents to reduce mosquito populations, rather than synthetic chemicals or physical trapping. Mosquitofish are actual predators that feed on mosquito larvae, thinning the number of larvae that survive to become adults. Bti, a bacterial product, kills mosquito larvae after ingestion, again using a natural biological agent rather than a chemical pesticide. This fits the concept of biological control, which uses living organisms or their natural products to suppress pests.

A larvicide describes a product used to kill larvae, which can be chemical or biological, so it’s a narrower category than biological control. A gravid trap targets adult mosquitoes, representing a trapping method rather than a biological control approach. Source reduction is about removing breeding sites to prevent mosquitoes from laying eggs, which is a habitat-based strategy rather than using a biological agent. So the term that best encompasses both mosquitofish and Bti is biological control.