Abstract
Current management and control of Aedes aegypti populations in urban areas are based on the spraying of insecticides. Here, we evaluated the effectiveness of spraying larvicide (Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis) using a truck-mounted Buffalo Turbine and adulticide (Deltamethrin) using a Grizzly ULV Sprayer in an urban area with high densities of Ae. aegypti and many cryptic and difficult to reach aquatic breeding habitats. Experiments were conducted in a tire shop located in Miami-Dade County, Florida with approximately 100,000 used airplane tires. Insecticide interventions were performed after a baseline survey consisting of 3 weeks of collections, followed by two insecticide interventions: (i) application of the adulticide followed by the application of larvicide on the subsequent week; and (ii) application of both adulticide and larvicide on two consecutive weeks. The first insecticide intervention resulted in a non-significant decrease in the relative abundance of Ae. aegypti. On the other hand, the second insecticide intervention significantly reduced the Ae. aegypti relative abundance (P < 0.002). Our results demonstrated that the combined insecticide interventions on two consecutive weeks significantly reduced the relative abundance of Ae. aegypti. This result indicated that the larvicide was successfully propelled reaching cryptical and difficult to reach aquatic habitats. However, even though the number of mosquitoes was greatly reduced, it was still greatly above the 10-mosquito threshold by trap night used by the Miami-Dade Mosquito Control Division to deploy an inspector to survey the area. Considering the lack of new and effective mosquito control tools, efficient and mobile insecticide propellers such as Buffalo Turbine can be of great help to manage mosquito populations in urban areas.
Highlights
MethodsStudy siteTires have long been associated with the proliferation of vector mosquitoes [51,52,53]
We evaluated the effectiveness of spraying the larvicide Bacillus thurigiensis var. israelensis (Bti) and the adulticide Deltamethrin in an urban area with high densities of Ae. aegypti
Our results demonstrated that combined insecticide interventions consisting of two consecutive applications of larvicide and adulticide using a truck-mounted Buffalo Turbine and Grizzly ULV Sprayer successfully reduced the relative abundance of Ae. aegypti for two weeks until the population started rebounding
Summary
Study siteTires have long been associated with the proliferation of vector mosquitoes [51,52,53]. Discarded tires comprise a major challenge for public health due to the inherent difficulty in treating all potential microhabitats suitable for sustaining mosquito vector populations. For this reason, the experiments were performed in Miami-Dade County, Florida at a tire shop specialized in retreading aircraft tires located at the limits of the urban development expansion zone of Miami (Fig 1). The experiments were performed in Miami-Dade County, Florida at a tire shop specialized in retreading aircraft tires located at the limits of the urban development expansion zone of Miami (Fig 1) This location was selected for having high densities of Ae. aegypti in a relatively small and constrained space, being notably extremely difficult to manage and control
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