Knowing community and environmental change through pests: Perceptions of mosquitoes and implications for management

This paper builds upon research on the history of pest management campaigns in the US since 1900, comparing contemporary resident responses to mosquito infestation with campaigns against other pests in the past. Interviews in six Washington, DC neighborhoods reveal that residents perceive mosquito infestations as results of negative community and environmental changes, and also that they understand potential control strategies in terms of changes that extend beyond the scale of their individual properties. These results suggest that connecting mosquito control to positive environmental activities, community-scale engagement, and government support may promote individual involvement. Ongoing research is testing this hypothesis among community organizations in urban Baltimore.