Dixie State University Partners with Utah Marketing Firm and the SW Mosquito Abatement and Control District for Product Testing
Salt Lake City, Utah (PRWEB) September 13, 2014 -- Although it’s cooled off, mosquitoes are a hot topic in Utah. Coming into mosquito high season are the state’s southern cities such as St George, Hurricane, Cedar City and surrounding areas. With a rise in mosquitoes carrying West Nile Virus, Washington County’s Sean Amodt is facilitating a partnership with Dixie State University’s Dr. Barnum and Salt Lake’s Jennifer Mason and Associates for testing on a product called NutriVex.
NutriVex is in its early stages of development but is showing great promise in preliminary lab and field-testing. It’s part of a line up of Ergofito products powered by MicroMix, which incorporates the latest in biotechnology for a variety of environmental applications. NutriVex will be tested in this instance for mosquito control. International results indicate there may be benefit to using the product as a natural and non-toxic alternative for Anopheles, Culex and other mosquito control. The SW Mosquito Abatement and Control District in Utah has the lab and expertise to bring about some definitive conclusions while having Dr. Barnum oversee processes and confirm results.
When discussing the goals of testing, Amodt says there are issues to consider. “Is there a sheen on the water? Is the water cleaner? What stage is it affecting the larvae?” Culex and Anopheles mosquitoes will be tested to address both local and global concerns about diseases transmitted through these insects. “What I really want to show from this is not the reporting, but finding the “why,” the new questions and the next experiment,” says Amodt.
Globally, MicroMix has been integrated into the fields of soil remediation, water treatment and agriculture. In the US, the technology is relatively new, but is showing tremendous potential. Tests implemented last year at the University of Florida to treat citrus trees infected with greening disease, demonstrated powerful results and offers the industry some hope with what this alternative treatment can offer. From implications in treating fungal infections in fish, to revelations in mosquito control, entities and individuals are investigating MicroMix, which Amodt refers to as “a unique concentration of naturally occurring bacteria, enzymes and supporting elements” that has ability to seemingly “re-balance or enhance any organic environment.”
Product from the Ergofit US office has made it’s way first to Salt Lake City and then to St George via Joshua Anderson, the contact at Mason and Associates. As a former owner/operator of a pest control company, Anderson is encouraged by existing research and is excited to see the results. “The implications for MicroMix are huge. Possible reduction in poisons and malaria is worth our energy and attention. I can’t wait to see what we find.”
Testing time will be tight, but the consortium of entities involved hopes to have results available for the 67th Annual Mosquito Abatement conference in October. Amodt will present the test findings and Mason and Associates will address distribution and other topics brought up through testing and the industry as a whole. With recent Federal mandates continuing to regulate and eliminate options for the pest control industry, viable solutions to long-term problems are a primary concern. “When pest control companies are forced to change their products or methods, the results can be terrible,” says Anderson. “My hope is that NutriVex will address issues like host resistance while decreasing the effects of switching to a new product for business owners.”
Follow up for testing will be available at Clean Earth Solution and in follow up reporting this October, 2014.
Jennifer Mason, Jennifer Mason & Associates, http://www.cleanearthsolution.net, +1 (801) 661-2206, [email protected]
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