Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) oviposition response to organic infusions from common flora of suburban Florida

Abstract

We evaluated the oviposition response of gravid Aedes albopictus (Skuse) to six organic infusions. Laboratory and field-placed oviposition cups baited with water oak (Quercus nigra L.), longleaf pine (Pinus palustris P. Mill), or St. Augustine grass (Stenotaphrum secundatum (Walt.) Kuntze), as well as binary infusion mixtures of each, were used. In addition, a triple-cage, dual port olfactometer was used to measure upwind response of gravid individuals to these infusions. We found that Ae. albopictus deposited more eggs in infusion-baited cups compared with water alone. Moreover, significantly more eggs were laid in the water oak and a water oak-pine mixture as compared with the St. Augustine grass infusion in laboratory bioassays. However, a negative upwind response was observed with longleaf pine infusion in the olfactometer. In field cages, significantly more eggs were deposited in infusion-baited cups as compared with water alone and a greater percentage of eggs were deposited in cups containing a water oak and the water oak-longleaf pine mixture as compared with cups containing single infusions or their mixtures.