Larvicidal products act by killing mosquito larvae . They are useful when water stagnation cannot be eliminated, therefore where the insect could proliferate (for example: manholes, road wells and rainwater collection grids). The larvicidal fight, therefore, allows the control of the insect in the environment: it aims to hit the larval stage of the mosquito, preventing the development of the adult winged forms.
In specialty stores and pharmacies, larvicidal products are available in liquid form (to be diluted in water before use), tablets or granules (to be introduced directly into the water collection). The active ingredients most used are the "growth regulators" Diflubenzuron and Pyriproxyfen (they prevent the transformation of the larva into an adult insect) and the biological preparation based on proteins Bacillus thuringiensis variety israelensis (sporogenic bacterium, harmless to humans, able to damage the digestive tract of the larvae). The treatments must be carried out periodically from April to the end of September-mid October, according to the instructions on the label of the larvicidal product used.
