A water-free process for converting initially non-larvicidal evaporation
suppressant powder into a larvicidal variant possessing utility both for
abatement of use by mosquitoes of an open water catchment as a successful
breeding site, and for conserving water by suppressing the evaporation of
water from the same catchment. Lauryl alcohol is used as a blending agent
to facilitate even distribution of mosquito-specific entomopathogens,
eg., spores of Bacillus thuringiensis variety Israelensis or Bacillus
sphaericus, into the initially non-larvicidal evaporation suppressant
powder. Cetyl alcohol and/or stearyl alcohol are the preferred
monolayer-formers upon which effective evaporation suppression relies.
For a variant larvicidal powder that lacks an effective evaporation
suppression property, the same preferred monolayer-formers may be omitted
from a blend of mosquito-specific pathogens, lauryl alcohol, and hydrated
lime or, alternatively, acidified gypsum.