Vector control without chemicals: has it a future?

Seldom has a topic created the degree of interest and controversy as has the topic of this symposium. I do not know why that should surprise anyone. Stories about chemicals are popular fare for journalists, especially stories involving the public's fear of them (Carlson 1989). The chemical industry makes up a very important part of the world's economy, and many people are dependent upon the chemical industry for their livelihood, either directly or indirectly. The chemical industry has made a major impact onjust about every aspect ofour everyday lives, from the cars we drive to the food we eat. Chemicals are also one of the favorite targets of environmental activists. It is difficult, in fact, to find people without strong feelings about chemicals in one way or another. So given this intense interest in the subject, why did the American Mosquito Control Association think it could select a topic such as this for a primary theme of its meeting without stirring up a cloud of controversy? Perhaps the program organizers felt that we were finally pastthe confrontational and emotion-charged period starting in the 1960s when it seemed that eyeryone felt they must declare for or against pesticides. Perhaps they hoped that as a scientific and educational association, we could tackle a tough issue such as this with light but without generating too much heat. I have my own reason for agreeing to help oryanize this symposium with Mike Service. Many of us like to say that vector control without chemicals is one of our cherished goals. It is a stated goal of my own organization, and I know that many others have frequently given support to this concept. Perhaps it is appropriate for us to look at where we are in regard to vector control without chemicals-to present a progress report in a manner ofspeaking. Perhaps we should even look at the goal itself. Is vector control without chemicals a desirable goal, or rather should we think instead in terms of habitat improvement? One of the things we ought to do at the onset of this symposium is to try to establish what we mean by the word "chemical". After wandering