Relationship between mosquito (Diptera: Culicidae) landing rates on a human subject and numbers captured using CO2-baited light traps

Capture rates of insectary-reared female Aedes albopictus (Skuse), Anopheles quadrimaculatus Say, Culex nigripalpus Theobald, Culex quinquefasciatus Say and Aedes triseriatus (Say) in CDC-type light traps (LT) supplemented with CO2 and using the human landing (HL) collection method were observed in matched-pair experiments in outdoor screened enclosures. Mosquito responses were compared on a catch-per-unit-effort basis using regression analysis with LT and HL as the dependent and independent variables, respectively. The average number of mosquitoes captured in 1?min by LT over a 24-h period was significantly related to the average number captured in 1?min by HL only for Cx. nigripalpus and Cx. quinquefasciatus. Patterns of diel activity indicated by a comparison of the mean response to LT and HL at eight different times in a 24-h period were not superposable for any species. The capture rate efficiency of LT when compared with HL was ≤15% for all mosquitoes except Cx. quinquefasciatus (43%). Statistical models of the relationship between mosquito responses to each collection method indicate that, except for Ae. albopictus, LT and HL capture rates are significantly related only during certain times of the diel period. Estimates of mosquito activity based on observations made between sunset and sunrise were most precise in this regard for An. quadrimaculatus and Cx. nigripalpus, as were those between sunrise and sunset for Cx. quinquefasciatus and Ae. triseriatus.     

竹叶花椒果实精油对两种蚊虫的毒杀活性研究

采用浸液法测试了竹叶花椒果实的水蒸汽蒸馏精油对白纹伊蚊和致倦库蚊幼虫的毒杀效果,并用三角瓶密闭熏蒸法研究了精油对这两种成蚊的熏杀活性;此外,采用GC-MS分析了该精油的化学成分。研究结果:(1)精油对白纹伊蚊和致倦库蚊的Ⅰ、Ⅱ、Ⅲ、Ⅳ龄期幼虫及蛹的LC50值分别为25.634/61.472、31.763/76.431、52.356/110.172、258.497/121.884和198.263/162.048mg.L-1;(2)精油对白纹伊蚊和致倦库蚊成蚊的LC50值分别为24.957和29.517μg.cm-3;(3)在147.52μg.cm-3熏杀剂量下,精油对白纹伊蚊和致倦库蚊成蚊的KT50值分别为3.493和2.993min,24h致死率均为100%;(4)共鉴定出18种化合物,其中萜烯类10种,占精油总量的67.122%,为竹叶花椒果实精油的主要成分。竹叶花椒果实精油对白纹伊蚊和致倦库蚊均有明显的致死作用,且作用速度快,具有开发为植物源杀蚊剂的潜力。     

Growth characteristics of the veterinary vaccine candidate ChimeriVax-West Nile (WN) virus in Aedes and Culex mosquitoes

In 1999 West Nile (WN) virus was introduced to North America where this flavivirus has spread rapidly among wildlife (especially birds) transmitted by various species of mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae). Increasing numbers of cases and deaths among humans, horses and other domestic animals require development of effective vaccines. 'ChimeriVax-West Nile(vet)' is being developed for use as a veterinary vaccine to protect against WN infection. This chimeric virus contains the pre-membrane (prM) and envelope (E) genes from the wild-type WN NY99 virus (isolated from a flamingo in New York zoo during the 1999 WN epidemic) in the backbone of yellow fever (YF) 17D vaccine virus. Replication kinetics of ChimeriVax-WN(vet) virus were evaluated in mosquito cell culture (Aedes albopictus C6/36), in WN vector mosquitoes [Culex tritaeniorhynchus Giles, Cx. nigripalpus Theobald and Cx. quinquefasciatus Say (Diptera: Culicidae)] and in YF vectors [Aedes aegypti (L) and Ae. albopictus (Skuse)], to determine whether these mosquitoes become infected through feeding on a viraemic vaccine, and their potential infectivity to transmit the virus. Growth of ChimeriVax-WN(vet) virus was found to be restricted in mosquitoes, compared to WN virus in Ae. albopictus C6/36 cells. When inoculated intrathoracically, ChimeriVax-WN(vet) and YF 17D viruses did not replicate in Cx. tritaeniorhynchus or Cx. nigripalpus; replication was very restricted compared to the wild-type WN virus in Cx. quinquefasciatus, Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus. When fed on hanging drops with ChimeriVax-WN(vet) virus (7.7 log10 PFU/mL), none of the Culex mosquitoes became infected; one Ae. albopictus and 10% of the Ae. aegypti became infected, but the titre was very low and virus did not disseminate to head tissue. ChimeriVax-WN(vet) virus had a replication profile similar to that of the attenuated vaccine virus YF 17D, which is not transmitted by mosquitoes. These results suggest that the natural mosquito vectors of WN and YF viruses, which may incidentally take a bloodmeal from a vaccinated host, will not become infected with ChimeriVax-WN(vet) virus.     

小蓬草精油对两种蚊虫的毒杀活性和成分分析

【目的】明确小蓬草Conyza canadensis ( L.) Cronq.精油的杀虫潜力及其活性成分。【方法】通过浸虫法和密闭熏蒸法测试了小蓬草精油对白纹伊蚊Aedes albopictus和致倦库蚊Culex pipiens quinquefasciatus幼虫及成蚊的毒杀活性, 并利用气相色谱 质谱联用仪（GC-MS）对精油的挥发性成分进行了定性分析。【结果】 小蓬草精油对白纹伊蚊1-4龄期幼虫及蛹的24 h LC50值分别为25.01, 45.88, 56.94, 64.60和346.23 μg/mL; 对致倦库蚊幼虫1-4龄期幼虫及蛹的24 h LC₅₀值分别为9.16, 8.65, 32.12, 43.68和197.83 μg/mL。在剂量分别为48, 64, 80, 96, 112和128 μg/cm3时, 小蓬草精油对白纹伊蚊成蚊的KT₅₀值分别为28.81, 22.31, 20.38, 17.05, 13.92和9.74 min; 对致倦库蚊的KT50值分别为34.90, 32.97, 23.97, 19.60, 15.20和10.34 min。 24 h熏蒸对白纹伊蚊和致倦库蚊成蚊的LC50值分别是75.46和99.19 μg/cm³。小蓬草精油的GC MS定性分析共分离鉴定出31种化合物, 其中单萜类物质6种, 倍半萜烯类物质17种, 含氧萜烯类6种。【结论】结果表明小蓬草精油对这两种蚊虫的毒杀活性较高, 具有深开发潜力。     

Susceptibility of mosquitoes in central Taiwan to natural infections of Dirofilaria immitis

From October 1997 to September 1998, 3085 Culex quinquefasciatus (Say) (Diptera: Culicidae), 584 Cx. tritaeniorhynchus (Giles) (Diptera: Culicidae), 392 Cx. annulus (Theobald) (Diptera: Culicidae), 374 Aedes albopictus (Skuse) (Diptera: Culicidae) and 102 Armigeres subalbatus (Coquillet) (Diptera: Culicidae) were collected and examined for Dirofilaria immitis (Leidy) (Spirurida: Filariidae) infection. However, only Cx. quinquefasciatus and Ae. albopictus were infected, with a prevalence of 4.28% and 3.74%, respectively. The intensity of D. immitis found in Ae. albopictus (3.43 larvae/mosquito) was higher than that found in Cx. quinquefasciatus (2.89 larvae/mosquito). After being fed with canine blood containing 7500 microfilariae (mf) per mL, Cx. quinquefasciatus ingested approximately two times as many mf as Ae. albopictus (mean of 31.73 in comparison to 16.47). However, almost three times as many third-stage infective larvae developed in Ae. albopictus as in Cx. quinquefasciatus (mean of 3.25 as compared with 1.10), with a vector efficiency index (VEI) of 19.73 and 3.47, respectively. The results showed that Cx. quinquefasciatus and Ae. albopictus served as natural vectors of D. immitis in central Taiwan. Although Ae. albopictus was more efficient for heartworm transmission, Cx. quinquefasciatus may play a more prominent role on the transmission of dirofilariasis in central Taiwan.     

Biochemical and cytoimmunological evidence for the control of Aedes aegypti larval trypsin with Aea-TMOF

Trypsin and chymotrypsin-like enzymes were detected in the gut of Aedes aegypti in the four larval instar and pupal developmental stages. Although overall the amount of trypsin synthesized in the larval gut was 2-fold higher than chymotrypsin, both enzymes are important in food digestion. Feeding Aea-Trypsin Modulating Oostatic Factor (TMOF) to Ae. aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus larvae inhibited trypsin biosynthesis in the larval gut, stunted larval growth and development, and caused mortality. Aea-TMOF induced mortality in Ae. aegypti, Cx. quinquefasciatus, Culex nigripalpus, Anopheles quadrimaculatus, and Aedes taeniorhynchus larvae, indicating that many mosquito species have a TMOF-like hormone. The differences in potency of TMOF on different mosquito species suggest that analogues in other species are similar but may differ in amino acid sequence or are transported differently through the gut. Feeding of 29 different Aea-TMOF analogues to mosquito larvae indicated that full biological activity of the hormone is achieved with the tetrapeptide YDPA. Using cytoimmunochemical analysis, intrinsic TMOF was localized to ganglia of the central nervous system in larvae and male and female Ae. aegypti adults. The subesophageal, thoracic, and abdominal ganglia of both larval and adult mosquitoes contained immunoreactive cells. Immunoreactive cells were absent in the corpus cardiacum of newly molted 4th instar larvae but were found in late 4th instar larvae. In both males and females, the intrinsic neurosecretory cells of the corpus cardiacum were filled with densely stained immunoreactive material. These results indicate that TMOF-immunoreactive material is synthesized in sugar-fed male and female adults and larvae by the central nervous system cells.     

Strategies for controlling the ghost ant,Tapinoma melanocephalum (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) with liquid bait

The ghost ant, Tapinoma melanocephalum (F.), is a household pest and a considerable nuisance. The aim of this study is to demonstrate the toxicity and control efficacy of boric acid in liquid bait against queen and worker ghost ants. The LT₅₀ values for workers fed with 0.5%–2.5% boric acid and 2% chicken peptone in 20% sucrose water solutions were 4.3–2.4 days. The lethal times (LT₅₀ = 5.2–7.6 days) for queen ghost ants fed with various concentrations of a boric acid solution depended on the feeding behavior of the queens. The high boric acid (4%) content solutions were not repellent to the ghost ant workers. The liquid bait formulation of 1% boric acid, which caused a 100% worker, brood, and queen population reduction in 4, 4, and 5 weeks, respectively, was significantly more effective than the solid bait formulation containing the same concentration (p ≦ 0.05). The simulation tests involved using chicken peptone and sucrose as the attractant, and colonies were provided an alternate food source (20% sucrose solution and dog food) to achieve a more accurate assessment of bait acceptability in screening for the efficacy of the liquid boric acid bait. The control efficiency attained 99.9% in week 4. The results demonstrated that liquid bait, containing 2% chicken peptone, 20% sucrose as a food attractant, and 1% boric acid as the toxin, is efficient and highly recommended for ghost ant control.     

Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) in Rome: experimental study of relevant control strategy parameters

Since 1997, Aedes albopictus has colonised and then rapidly invaded the city of Rome (Italy) and its peripheral areas. Presently, the control of this mosquito in Italy relies mainly on larvicidal treatment of street storm sewer catch basins with the organophosphate temephos. We have therefore obtained baseline data on the susceptibility to temephos of the Roman Ae. albopictus population by laboratory bioassays on F1 fourth-instar larvae following standard WHO protocols. Estimated lethal concentrations were 0.014 mg/l (LC50) and 0.022 mg/l (LC90) indicating a lack of resistance to this compound. The persistence of temephos in sewer catch basins was evaluated by follow-up of catch basins treated with a dose of 1.5 mg of active ingredient. Mosquito larvae were recovered in 10% and 50% of the treated basins at 9 and 18 days posttreatment, respectively. In order to understand the relative contribution of this larval habitat to adult populations, we conducted a survey in the Zoo of Rome to estimate the larval density of mosquitoes breeding in sewer catch basins. A complete census of a 16.5 ha area mapped 243 catch basins, but only 25 (10.3%) contained water; of the latter 8 (32.0%) hosted mosquito larvae. All positive catch basins contained larvae of Culex pipiens, which were associated with Culiseta longiareolata and/or Ae. albopictus in 6 and 3 cases, respectively. A longitudinal survey of one catch basin over 4 months showed that the mean larval density of Ae. albopictus was markedly lower than that of Cx pipiens and Cs. Iongiareolata, ranging between 0 and 1.3 larvae/dip as compared to 0-33.2 and 0-22.7 larvae/dip, respectively. However, adult densities of Ae. albopictus in this area estimated during the same period with 20 ovitraps showed consistently high values (proportion of positive ovitraps around 100%). These preliminary observations suggest that whenever alternative larval biotopes other than sewer catch basins are widely available, they might be more productive and/or preferred substrates to catch basins for Ae. albopictus breeding.     

我国蚊虫体内感染的Wolbachia的wsp基因序列测定与分析

测定了我国尖音库蚊复合组和白纹伊蚊蚊虫体内感染的Wolbachia株的wsp基因序列。核苷酸和氨基酸的同源性及系统关系分析表明,我国尖音库蚊复合组和白纹伊蚊中Wolbachia株的wsp基因序列与Pip组其它株的核苷酸及氨基酸同源性分别为98%～100%和97%～100%, 属B大组Wolbachia中的Pip组。     

Attraction of mosquitoes to volatiles associated with blood.

Responses of the mosquitoes Aedes aegypti, Culex quinquefasciatus, and Culex nigripalpus to volatiles and compounds associated with bovine and avian blood that were presented in collagen membranes were evaluated in olfactometer and landing assays. The presence of attractants produced by blood was supported by more attraction of all species to blood than water controls in the olfactometer. Females of Ae. aegypti and Cx. quinquefasciatus were more attracted to bovine blood than to avian blood, but there was no difference in Cx. nigripalpus responses. In landing assays, significantly more females of all species landed on casings with blood than on water controls. There was no difference in landing of Ae. aegypti on bovine or avian blood. However, significantly more females of Cx. quinquefasciatus and Cx. nigripalpus landed on avian blood compared to bovine blood. Blood presented in collagen casings was an effective method for evaluating in-flight attraction and landing in all three species. In the olfactometer, several individual compounds elicited attraction in all species, but none were as attractive as blood for all species. In landing assays, several organic acids and sulfides elicited landing, with Ae. aegypti responding to the greatest number of compounds. These assay methods are effective for evaluation of volatile compounds from blood, and although responses were obtained to several compounds, none were as effective as blood in the olfactometer and landing assays.     

The first report of Aedes (Stegomyia) albopictus in Haiti

Aedes albopictus was found in six of the 10 departments of Haiti and in 14 of the 35 communes surveyed. The survey found the larvae of Ae. albopictus in 13 different types of containers. Used tires and tins were by far the most common breeding sites used by this mosquito species. At the breeding sites, Ae. albopictus was associated with other mosquito species, such as Aedes aegypti, Culex nigripalpus and Aedes mediovittatus. The highest proportion of association was with Ae. aegypti. This study represents the first report of Ae. albopictus in Haiti.     

Influence of toxic bait type and starvation on worker and queen mortality in laboratory colonies of Argentine ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

The efficacy of toxic baits should be judged by their ability to kill entire ant colonies, including the colony queen or queens. We studied the efficacy of four toxic baits to the Argentine ant, Linepithema humile (Mayr) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). These baits were Xstinguish that has the toxicant fipronil, Exterm-an-Ant that contains both boric acid and sodium borate, and Advion ant gel and Advion ant bait arena that both have indoxacarb. Experimental nests contained 300 workers and 10 queen ants that were starved for either 24 or 48 h before toxic bait exposure. The efficacy of the toxic baits was strongly influenced by starvation. In no treatment with 24-h starvation did we observe 100% worker death. After 24-h starvation three of the baits did not result in any queen deaths, with only Exterm-an-Ant producing an average of 25% mortality. In contrast, 100% queen and worker mortality was observed in colonies starved for 48 h and given Xstinguish or Exterm-an-Ant. The baits Advion ant gel and Advion ant bait arena were not effective against Argentine ants in these trials, resulting in <60% mortality in all treatments. Because of the strong influence of starvation on bait uptake, control efficacy may be maximized by applying bait when ants are likely to be starved. Our results suggest queen mortality must be assessed in tests for toxic bait efficacy. Our data indicate that of these four baits, Xstinguish and Exterm-an-Ant are the best options for control of Argentine ants in New Zealand.     

Ecology of mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) in areas of Serra do Mar State Park, State of São Paulo, Brazil. II - habitat distribution

The mosquito (Diptera: Culicidae) ecology was studied in areas of Serra do Mar State Park, State of S?o Paulo, Brazil. Systematized biweekly human bait collections were made three times a day, for periods of 2 or 3 h each, in sylvatic and rural areas for 24 consecutive months (January 1991 to December 1992). A total of 24, 943 adult mosquitoes belonging to 57 species were collected during 622 collective periods. Aedes scapularis, Coquillettidia chrysonotum, Cq. venezuelensis, Wyeomyia dyari, Wy. longirostris, Wy. theobaldi and Wy. palmata were more frequently collected at swampy and at flooded areas. Anopheles mediopunctatus, Culex nigripalpus, Ae. serratus, Ae. fulvus, Psorophora ferox, Ps. albipes and the Sabethini in general, were captured almost exclusively in forested areas. An. cruzii, An. oswaldoi and An. fluminensis were captured more frequently in a residence area. However, Cx. quinquefasciatus was the only one truly eusynanthropic. An. cruzii and Ae. scapularis were captured feeding on blood inside and around the residence, indicating that both species, malaria and arbovirus vectors respectively, may be involved in the transmission of these such diseases in rural areas.     

First report of the oriental mosquito Aedes albopictus on the West African island of Bioko,Equatorial Guinea

The invasive oriental mosquito Aedes (Stegomyia) albopictus (Skuse) (Diptera: Culicidae) was detected on Bioko Island for the first time in November 2001. It was found to be well established breeding in artificial containers at Planta, near Malabo, the capital of Equatorial Guinea. Associated species of mosquito larvae were Aedes aegypti (L.), Ae. africanus (Theobald), Culex near decens Theobald, Cx. duttoni Theobald, Cx. quinquefasciatus Say, Cx. tigripes De Grandpré & De Charmoy, Eretmapodites quinquevittatus Theobald and Mansonia africana (Theobald). This is the third tropical African country to be invaded by Ae. albopictus, which has recently spread to many parts of the Americas and Europe--with vector competence for dengue, yellow fever and other arboviruses. In the Afrotropical environment, it will be interesting to monitor the ecological balance and/or displacement between introduced Ae. albopictus and indigenous Ae. aegpyti (domestic, peri-domestic and sylvatic populations).     

椿叶花椒果实精油对两种蚊虫的生物活性及成分分析

为筛选环保型的植物源灭蚊活性物质, 研究了椿叶花椒 Zanthoxylum ailanthoides 果实精油对白纹伊蚊Aedes albopictus和致倦库蚊Culex pipiens quinquefasciatus成蚊的熏杀活性, 并测试了精油对这两种蚊幼虫的毒杀效果。此外, 采用GC-MS分析了该精油的化学成分。 结果表明：在102.145 μg·cm^-3熏杀剂量下, 精油对白纹伊蚊和致倦库蚊成蚊的KT50值分别为2.788和3.505 min, 24 h致死率分别为100%和97.53%。该精油对白纹伊蚊和致倦库蚊4龄幼虫的LC50值分别为45.237和20.759 mg·L^-1。从椿叶花椒果实精油中共鉴定出14种化合物, 其中2-十一酮为主要成分, 相对含量为89.86%。结果说明椿叶花椒果实精油对两种蚊虫均有明显的杀虫活性, 具有开发成植物源灭蚊剂的潜力。     

Knockdown and lethal effects of three mosquito coil formulations against Aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus under different nutritional conditions

Three mosquito coil formulations, each containing either metofluthrin 0.025% w/w, d-allethrin 0.225% w/w, or esbiothrin 0.10% w/w were evaluated for knockdown and killing properties against laboratory populations of female Aedes aegypti (L.) and Culex quinquefasciatus Say under different nutritional-energy sources of blood, sucrose, and water. The tests were conducted in a 70 cm × 70 cm × 70 cm glass chamber. Mosquito responses were measured by knockdown times during the 20-min exposure period and mortality at 24 h post-exposure. The results showed the metofluthrin coil provided the most rapid knockdown for both test species and regardless of nutritional condition compared with the other two coils. Metofluthrin and d-allethrin were highly effective in killing Ae. aegypti (95–100% mortality), whereas esbiothrin produced 100% mortality to water-fed mosquitoes and 78.3 and 80% mortality for blood- and sucrose-fed specimens, respectively. >85% mortality was observed in sucrose- and water-fed Cx. quinquefasciatus against metofluthrin, while 78.3% blood-fed females survived exposure. This species showed very low mortality with d-allethrin (3.3% to 28.3%), with the highest mortality recorded (71.7%) for water-fed with esbiothrin. Overall, Ae. aegypti was more sensitive to all three coil products than Cx. quinquefasciatus. The mortality between species and nutritional conditions showed significant differences for all comparisons except for sucrose-fed mosquitoes exposed to metofluthrin.     

Differential lipid reserves influence host-seeking behaviour in the mosquitoes Aedes cantans and Aedes punctor

ipid reserves of bait-caught female Ae.cantans and Ae.punctor mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) were significantly higher than in teneral females. Female Ae.cantans given access to 10% w/v sucrose solution post-emergence showed an ability to synthesize lipid and, after 192 h, they were willing to take a bloodmeal from a human volunteer. At this point, mean lipid reserves were not significantly different from mean lipid reserves of bait-caught females. Prior to 192 h, females would not take a bloodmeal and lipid reserves were significantly lower than in bait-caught females. Female Ae.punctor given access to 10% w/v sucrose solution post-emergence also showed an ability to synthesize lipid. Females of this species were willing to feed from a human host after only 48 h, at which point lipid content was not significantly different from that in bait-caught females. The level of lipid reserves in females coming to bait differs significantly between species: Ae.cantans has lipid reserves approximately double those of Ae.punctor . In addition, Ae.punctor is able to synthesize lipid to a level comparable with that found in bait-caught females after only 24 h, whilst it takes 192 h for Ae.cantans females to synthesize the amount of lipid found in host-seeking females, when allowed free access to sugar. Physiological differences in lipid synthesis and the level of lipid reserves required may therefore explain the differences observed between the species in the time taken to initiate host seeking.     

Laboratory evaluation of Mesocyclops annulatus (Wierzejski, 1892) (Copepoda: Cyclopidea) as a predator of container-breeding mosquitoes in Argentina

In laboratory bioassays we tested the predatory capacity of the copepod Mesocyclops annulatus on Aedes aegypti and Culex pipiens larvae. A single adult female of M. annulatus caused 51.6% and 52.3% mortality of 50 first instar larvae of Ae. aegypti and Cx. pipiens respectively, in a 72 h test period. When alternative food was added to the containers, mortality rates declined to 16% and 10.3% for Ae. aegypti and Cx. pipiens respectively. When 50 first instar larvae of each of the two mosquito species tested were placed together with a single adult female of M. annulatus, mortality rates were 75.5% for Ae. aegypti larvae and 23.5% for Cx. pipiens larvae in a three day test period. Different density of adult females of M. annulatus ranged from 5 to 25 females produced mortality rates of Ae. aegypti first instar larvae from 50% to 100% respectively. When a single adult female of M. annulatus was exposed to an increasing number of first-instar Ae. aegypti larvae ranging from 10 to 100, 100% mortality was recorded from 1 to 25 larvae, then mortality declined to 30% with 100 larvae. The average larvae killed per 24 h period by a single copepod were 29.     

Performance of gel and paste bait products for German cockroach (Dictyoptera: Blattellidae) control: laboratory and field studies.

Gel and paste bait formulations containing boric acid or hydramethylnon were evaluated in field and laboratory experiments with the German cockroach, Blattella germanica (L.). Bait formulations contained 14-62% water by weight and lost the most water after 1 d of desiccation. Bait age and water content did not alter the toxicity (LT50) of boric acid-based baits. Toxicity of hydramethylnon (Maxforce) bait, however, increased with bait age. In continuous exposure tests without harborage, boric acid formulations had LT50s of 8.5 and 10.1 d for Blue Diamond and IT WORKS, respectively. Maxforce bait had an LT50 of 4.2 d. LT50s determined with cardboard harborage or in Ebeling choice boxes were 1.5 to 2.2 times lower than those from continuous exposure tests without harborage. Relative repellency, measured as the mean percent of live cockroaches in the light side of the choice box, was greatest for IT WORKS (21.4%) and Maxforce (25.4%) formulations, followed by Blue Diamond (10.9%). A performance index that combined choice box repellency and mortality data indicated that Maxforce had the greatest potential for field effectiveness. Blue Diamond and Maxforce significantly reduced German cockroach populations in the field. Maxforce performed best in field trials when applied at 10 or 20 placements per apartment. Apartments treated with IT WORKS had significantly greater cockroach trap catches. Factors that may affect the predictive power of the performance index are discussed.     

Mosquito larval consumption of toxic arborescent leaf-litter,and its biocontrol potential

Previously we described the mosquito larvicidal properties of decomposed leaf-litter from deciduous trees, especially the alder Alnus glutinosa (L) Gaertn., due to toxic polyphenols and other secondary compounds. To further examine the biocontrol potential of toxic leaf-litter for mosquito control, feeding rates of third-instar mosquito larvae were assessed for examples of three genera: Anopheles stephensi Liston, Aedes aegypti (L) and Culex pipiens L. (Diptera: Culicidae). When immersed in a suspension of non-toxic leaf-litter particles (approximately 0.4 mm), pre-starved larvae of all three species ingested sufficient material in 30 min to fill the anterior gut lumen (thorax plus two to three abdominal segments). Gut filling peaked after 1-2 h ingestion time, filling the intestine up to six to seven abdominal segments for Ae. aegypti, but maxima of five abdominal segments for Cx. pipiens and An. stephensi. Using three methods to quantify consumption of three materials by third-instar larvae of Ae. aegypti, the average amount of leaf-litter (non-toxic 0.4 mm particles) ingested during 3 h was determined as approximately 20 microg/larva (by dry weight and by lignin spectrophotometric assay). Consumption of humine (approximately 100 microm particles extracted from leaf-litter) during 3 h was approximately 80 microg/larva for Ae. aegypti, but only approximately 30 microg/larva for Cx. pipiens and 15 microg/larva for An. stephensi, with good concordance of determinations by dry weight and by radiometric assay. Cellulose consumption by Ae. aegypti was intermediate: approximately 40 microg/larva determined by radiometric assay. Apparent differences between the amounts of these materials ingested by Ae. aegypti larvae (humine four-fold, cellulose two-fold more than leaf-litter) may be attributed to contrasts in palatability (perhaps related to particle size or form), rather than technical discrepancies, because there was good concordance between results of both methods used to determine the amounts of humine and leaf-litter ingested. Bioassays of toxic leaf-litter (decomposed 10 months) with 4-h exposure period (ingestion time) ranked the order of sensitivity: Ae. aegypti (LC50 < 0.03 g/L) > An. stephensi (LC50 = 0.35 g/L) > Cx. pipiens (LC20 > 0.4 g/L). When immersed in the high concentration of 0.5 g/L toxic leaf-litter (0.4 mm particles), as little as 15-30 min ingestion time (exposure period) was sufficient to kill the majority of larvae of all three species, as soon as the gut lumen was filled for only the first few abdominal segments. Possibilities for mosquito larval control with toxic leaf-litter products and the need for standardized ingestion bioassays of larvicidal particles are discussed.