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Title: Efficacy of attractive toxic sugar baits (ATSB) against Aedes albopictus with garlic oil encapsulated in beta-Cyclodextrin as the active ingredient

Author
item JUNNILA, AMY - Hebrew University
item REVAY, EDITA - Rappaport & Associates
item MULLER, GUNTER - Hebrew University
item KRAVCHENKO, VASILIY - Tel Aviv University
item QUALLS, WHITNEY - University Of Miami
item XUE, RUI-DE - Anastasia Mosquito Control District
item Allan, Sandra - Sandy
item BEIER, JOHN - University Of Miami
item SCHLEIN, YOSEF - Hebrew University

Submitted to: ACTA TROPICA
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/7/2015
Publication Date: 9/25/2015
Citation: Junnila, A., Revay, E.E., Muller, G.C., Kravchenko, V., Qualls, W.A., Xue, R., Allan, S.A., Beier, J.C., Schlein, Y. 2015. Efficacy of attractive toxic sugar baits (ATSB) against Aedes albopictus with garlic oil encapsulated in beta-Cyclodextrin as the active ingredient. ACTA TROPICA. 152(1):195-200.

Interpretive Summary: Despite intensive control efforts, mosquitoes continue to negatively impact agriculture and human health worldwide as nuisance pests and disease vectors. Control of mosquitoes is often confounded by issues such as pesticide resistance, expense, application problems and negative environmental impacts. Delivery of insecticides for mosquito control through focus on sugar feeding behavior of most mosquitoes provides a new targeted approach for mosquito control. In this study, conducted in collaboration with a CMAVE entomologist, a botanical compound, garlic, was microencapsulated and combined with sugar-based solutions for control of mosquitoes in Israel. Field studies demonstrated a reduction of Ae. albopictus mosquitoes after 4 days with reduced populations for 27 days. This approach provides an effective innovative method for control of mosquitoes using least toxic botanical chemicals.

Technical Abstract: We tested the efficacy of attractive toxic sugar bait (ATSB) with garlic oil microencapsulated in beta-cyclodextrin as active ingredient against Aedes albopictus in suburban Haifa, Israel. Two three-acre gardens with high numbers of Ae. albopictus were chosen for perimeter spray treatment with ATSB and ASB (bait containing no active ingredient). Baits were colored with food dye to verify feeding of the mosquitoes. The mosquito population was monitored by human landing catches and sweep net catches in the surrounding vegetation. Experiments lasted for 44 days. Treatment occurred on day 13. The mosquito population collapsed about 4 days after treatment and continued to drop steadily for 27 days until the end of the study. At the experimental site the average biting pressure was 17.2 per 5 minutes pre-treatment. Two days after, the biting pressure dropped to 11.44, and continued to drop to an average of 2.58 during the following 26 days. At the same time the control population was stable. Few sugar fed females (8 to 10%) approached a human bait and anthrone tests showed relatively small amounts of sugar within their crop/gut. Around 60 to 70 % of males caught near our human bait were sugar positive which may indicate that the males were feeding on sugar for mating related behavior. From the vegetation treated with the toxic bait, we recovered significantly less (about 10 to 14%) males and females stained by ATSB. This might indicate that the toxic baits may also change the resting behavior of the poisoned mosquitoes within the vegetation. Almost no Ae. albopictus females (5.22 ± 1.38) approached human bait after they fed upon ATSB.