The medical importance, ecology and control of riceland mosquitoes using 
alternative strategies is reviewed. Over 135 pest and vector anopheline and 
culicine mosquito species found in association with riceland habitats and their 
medical importance are presented. Malaria and Japanese encephalitis are the two 
most serious human diseases transmitted by riceland mosquitoes, but they have 
been incriminated as vectors of dozens of arboviruses and other parasites and 
pathogens including the causal agents of West Nile and Rift Valley Fevers and 
lymphatic filariasis. Control of vector and pest mosquitoes using chemical 
pesticides has generated several problems including: insecticide resistance, 
safety risks for humans and domestic animals, and other environmental concerns. 
These problems and the high cost and sustainability of programs based 
predominantly on conventional insecticides have stimulated increased interest in 
integrated control measures in ricelands. The integrated pest management (IPM) 
strategy for mosquito control, also known as integrated vector control (IVC), is 
an ecologically based approach that may involve several complementary 
interventions used in combination or singly. Environmental management, and 
chemical, biological and mechanical control, comprise the elements of IVC 
proposed for use in or near riceland habitats. Some of the elements of 
environmental management include the use of intermittent irrigation; flushing of 
fields; use of rice cultivars that require less water; shifting of planting 
schedules to avoid optimal mosquito breeding conditions; relocation of 
communities or use of dry belt farming around them; and zooprophylaxis and other 
personal protection methods, especially use of insecticide-impregnated bed nets. 
Biological control agents that have been used successfully in rice fields 
include several species of larvivorous fish, a mermithid nematode (Romanomermis 
culicivorax), a fungus (Lagenidium giganteum) and bacteria (Bacillus 
thuringiensis var. israelensis and Bacillus sphaericus). The mermithid and the 
entomopathogens have demonstrated little or no adverse effects on populations of 
vertebrate and invertebrate nontarget organisms. The successful use of any 
particular method or combination of interventions for the control of riceland 
mosquitoes will depend on in-depth ecological studies on the target species and 
nontarget organisms, sound geographic reconnaissance and effective routine 
sampling and evaluation. When biological control agents are considered, 
additional background on the environmental factors limiting their efficacy will 
also be needed. In addition to the technical components of the various 
interventions employed in integrated control, sustained suppression of riceland 
mosquitoes and the diseases they transmit will require a greater sociocultural 
supportive background, particularly in developing countries.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED 
AT 400 WORDS)