Feed‐through insecticides for the control of the sand fly Phlebotomus argentipes

Three rodent feed‐through studies were conducted to evaluate the efficacy of insecticides to control Phlebotomus argentipes (Diptera: Psychodidae). The initial test evaluated diflubenzuron, eprinomectin, fipronil and ivermectin as feed‐through treatments in Rattus rattus (Rodentia: Muridae). In the preliminary trial, all four insecticides yielded 100% mortality of P. argentipes larvae within 20 days of exposure to treated rodent faeces. Based upon the initial results, fipronil was evaluated further as a feed‐through utilizing Bandicota bengalensis (Rodentia: Muridae). The B. bengalensis trial evaluated fipronil against both adult and larval sandflies at 250 p.p.m., 100 p.p.m. and 50 p.p.m. The results showed the fipronil treatment to have 100% efficacy against larvae up to 20 days post‐treatment and over 74% efficacy against adult sandflies presented with B. bengalensis faeces up to 10 days post‐treatment at all three dosage levels. The results of the three studies suggest that all four insecticides may be useful tools with which to control Leishmania vector populations.