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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Gainesville, Florida » Center for Medical, Agricultural and Veterinary Entomology » Mosquito and Fly Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #377595

Research Project: Integrated Pest Management of Mosquitoes and Biting Flies

Location: Mosquito and Fly Research

Title: Control of adult and larval Aedes albopictus with attractive toxic sugar baits (active ingredient: cinnamon sesame oil) in north-eastern Florida

Author
item TRAORE, MOHAMED - University Of Sciences
item JUNILLA, AMY - University Of Sciences
item REVAY, EDITA - University Of Haifa
item KRAVCHENKO, VASILIY - Tel Aviv University
item LAHTI, ARLENE - Lakehead University
item FIORENZANO, JODY - Anastasia Mosquito Control District
item QUALLS, WHITNEY - Texas Department Of Health
item Kline, Daniel - Dan
item SCHLEIN, YOSEF - Hebrew University
item BEIER, JOHN - University Of Miami
item XUE, RUI-DE - Anastasia Mosquito Control District
item MULLER, GUNTER - Hebrew University

Submitted to: Journal of the Florida Mosquito Control Association
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/26/2019
Publication Date: 12/1/2019
Citation: Traore, M.M., Junilla, A., Revay, E.E., Kravchenko, V.D., Lahti, A., Fiorenzano, J.M., Qualls, W., Kline, D.L., Schlein, Y., Beier, J., Xue, R., Muller, G.C. 2019. Control of adult and larval Aedes albopictus with attractive toxic sugar baits (active ingredient: cinnamon sesame oil) in north-eastern Florida. Journal of the Florida Mosquito Control Association. 66:20-26.

Interpretive Summary: In laboratory and field studies an international team (Mali, USA, Canada and Israel) of mosquito scientists evaluated a novel formulation of an environmentally friendly attractive toxic sugar bait (ATSB), utilizing a microencapsulated cinnamonoil-plus-sesame oil mixture as active ingredient , against immature and adult stages of the Asian Tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus. Results indicated that this formulation was highly effective (>90% mortality) against both immatures and adults. If used in accordance with label instructions and applied on non-flowering green vegetation, the potential impact on non-target populations was negligible with the exception of non-biting midges, which can be a nuisance pest.

Technical Abstract: Because traditional methods of mosquito control using insecticides has produced resistance, new methods that are environmentally friendly, sustainable and cost effective have been sought. One method, attractive toxic sugar baits (ATSB), usesthe biological requirements, ecology, and behavior of mosquitoes to attract and kill them.In this study, the efficacy of a new ATSB active ingredient, microencapsulated cinnamon oil-plus-sesme oil, was tested in the laboratory and field against Aedes albopictus (Skuse) and the effect on non-target organisms was evaluated. The average mortality among groups of 20 third instar larvae after exposure to to microencapsulated cinnamon-sesame oil ATSB in the laboratory for 48 hr was high. Mortality at 10% and 1% ATSB was 95.8% and 90.0% respectively and began to drop off (to 65%) at 0.1%. After application of the ATSB in the field, on day 11 of the study, the adult Ae. albopictus population at the experimental site dropped significantly compared to pre-treatment levels and to the untreated control population. The differences between the control and the treated sites remained significant until the end of the study period on day 28. If used in accordance with label instructions and applied on non-flowering green vegetation, the potential impact on non-target populations was neglibible with the exception of non-biting midges (Chironomidae). The synergistic effect of attraction and killing adults as well as wash-off into parts of the breeding sites with larvicidal cinnamon oil-plus-sesame oil product likely explains the high mortality of this ATSB formulation.