Claybird, good questions; Permectrin 10% is expensive (about $50 per gallon). The dilution is about 20:1. It is highly bio-degradable and will dissipate rapidly with rain, dew, direct sunlight, etc. We have great success spraying every other p.m. with a high pressure orchard fogger (pto mounted). Although you will accomplish some midge reduction and a lot of mosquito control in small pond/wild habitat senerios, greatest effect is realized in captive deer pens or high-fenced range. Always concentrate spraying on shorelines and shallow stagnant puddles.
The alternative is using more residual pesticides like the organophosphates (Malathion type) but they often cause hyper-sensitive reactions in deer and other wildlife.
Testing more cattle probably won't help the EHD problem in deer herds because cattle rarely get sick from it, they just carry it. Therefore most cattle people are not concerned whether they test positive or not. That attitude will change quickly if EHD ever mutates into human disease...E-bola, SARS, Avian flu, Mad cow, etc did!
Dan
