Skip to main content
ARS Home » Southeast Area » Gainesville, Florida » Center for Medical, Agricultural and Veterinary Entomology » Mosquito and Fly Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #405371
Research Project: Integrated Pest Management of Mosquitoes and Biting Flies

Location: Mosquito and Fly Research

Title: Transfluthrin diffusers do not protect two-person US military tents from mosquitoes in open field and canopy warm-temperate habitats

Author
item BAYER, BARBARA - Orise Fellow
item Aldridge, Robert
item MORENO, BIANCA - Orise Fellow
item Golden, Frances
item Gibson, Seth
item WAHL, JEFF - Department Of Defense
item Linthicum, Kenneth - Ken

Submitted to: Current Research in Parasitology and Vector Borne Diseases
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/6/2023
Publication Date: 2/1/2024
Citation: Bayer, B., Aldridge, R.L., Moreno, B.J., Golden, F.V., Gibson, S., Wahl, J., Linthicum, K. 2024. Transfluthrin diffusers do not protect two-person US military tents from mosquitoes in open field and canopy warm-temperate habitats. Current Research in Parasitology and Vector Borne Diseases. 5:100156. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crpvbd.2023.100156.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crpvbd.2023.100156

Interpretive Summary: Spatial repellents, such as transfluthrin, are chemicals that create a cloud of gas or vapor that is repellent to disease carrying organisms, like mosquitoes. These spatial repellents can be used to prevent mosquitoes and other disease carrying organisms from biting therefore reducing the potential for humans getting sick. We combined spatial repellents with 2-person military tents in N. Florida forest and field conditions and assessed how well they performed. Our results demonstrated that transfluthrin devices did not repel mosquitoes from entering the tents, as would be expected. Instead, we observed both higher numbers of mosquitoes, and greater mosquito mortality from tents with transfluthrin devices. Based on these results, we do not recommend the use of transfluthrin devices for mosquito protection in 2-person military tents deployed in forest or field similar to north Florida habitat.

Technical Abstract: Spatial repellents are volatile or volatilized chemicals that repel arthropod vectors in free space, preventing bites and reducing the potential for pathogen transmission. We assessed the use of transfluthrin-impregnated diffusers placed in 2-person United States (US) military tents located in canopy and open field habitats in north Florida to prevent mosquitoes from entering. Our results demonstrated that these transfluthrin impregnated devices did not function as spatial repellents as expected and did not create a mosquito-free zone of protection. Instead, we observed consistently higher collections of mosquitoes from tents with transfluthrin-impregnated diffusers. Based on these findings we do not recommend the use of passive transfluthrin-impregnated diffusers for mosquito protection in two-person US military tents in warm-temperate environments similar to north Florida.