Abstract
The increasing range of Aedes albopictus, the Asian tiger mosquito, in the USA and the threat of chikungunya and dengue outbreaks vectored by this species have necessitated novel approaches to control this peridomestic mosquito. Conventional methods such as adulticiding provide temporary relief, but fail to manage this pest on a sustained basis. We explored the use of cold aerosol foggers and misting machines for area-wide applications of Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis (VectoBac WDG) as a larvicide targeting Aedes albopictus. During 2010–2013 we performed initially open field trials and then 19 operational area-wide applications in urban and suburban residential areas in northeastern USA to test three truck-mounted sprayers at two application rates. Area-wide applications of WDG in open field conditions at 400 and 800 g/ha killed on average 87% of tested larvae. Once techniques were optimized in residential areas, applications with a Buffalo Turbine Mist Sprayer at a rate of 800 g/ha, the best combination, consistently provided over 90% mortality. Importantly, there was no significant decrease in efficacy with distance from the spray line even in blocks of row homes with trees and bushes in the backyards. Under laboratory conditions Bti deposition in bioassay cups during the operational trials resulted in over 6 weeks of residual control. Our results demonstrate that area-wide truck mounted applications of WDG can effectively suppress Ae. albopictus larvae and should be used in integrated mosquito management approaches to control this nuisance pest and disease vector.
Highlights
The range of Aedes albopictus, the Asian tiger mosquito, is expected to expand in highly urbanized temperate regions in North America and Europe in response to climate change [1,2,3]
Increasing air pressure led to larger droplet sizes with the low volume (LV)-8
Unlike most pressurized spray equipment where air pressure has an inverse relationship with droplet size, the LV-8 exhibited a direct relationship between air pressure and volume mean diameter (VMD)
Summary
The range of Aedes albopictus, the Asian tiger mosquito, is expected to expand in highly urbanized temperate regions in North America and Europe in response to climate change [1,2,3]. This mosquito is often the primary pest species eliciting complaints from the public in areas where it occurs [4] and it presents a significant health risk [1,5,6]. Since the onset of the WNV epidemic mosquito control agencies in urban and suburban areas have targeted Culex spp. in residential storm drains and other large stagnant water sources [2]. These programs rarely impact Ae. albopictus, which thrive in small pockets of water in artificial containers such as buckets, toys and trash primarily within private yards [7]. Having individual homeowners bear considerable responsibility for source reduction has hampered control efforts primarily because residents are not usually able to coordinate their efforts with enough of their neighbors to eliminate the larval sources that contribute biting Ae. albopictus to a neighborhood
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