Abstract
Entomopathogenic nematodes have been evaluated for control of mosquito species for decades. Depending on the nematode and mosquito involved, mortality rates of larvae (L) may reach 100% in vitro. Nonetheless, nematode efficacy at oviposition sites has rarely been assessed. Heterorhabditis indica LPP35 has been shown to kill over 75% of Aedes aegypti L3/L4 in cups and bottles outdoors. To assess its efficacy in indoor oviposition sites, different types/sizes of floor drains and pot saucers, and 65 liter water barrels, were infested with L3/L4 and treated with two doses of infective juveniles (IJs). In floor drains, mortality rates varied from 45 to 82%, with better results in the smallest drains. The adjustable dose of 25 IJs/cm2 of the drain’s bottom internal surface gave better results than the fixed dose of 100 IJs/larva. Mortality rates were only 28 to 53% and 0.1 to 1.7% in pot saucers and water barrels, respectively, probably because ridges and grooves that marked the bottom internal surface of these containers hindered the encounter of larvae and IJs.
Highlights
Entomopathogenic nematodes have been evaluated for control of mosquito species for decades
Heterorhabditis indica LPP35 is a promising agent for A. aegypti larval control in small, cryptic domiciliary environments
When floor drains were treated with 1,000 infective juveniles (IJs), the mean mortality rate reached 74% in the smallest drain type, and progressively fell to 45% in the largest one (Table 1)
Summary
Entomopathogenic nematodes have been evaluated for control of mosquito species for decades. To assess its efficacy in indoor oviposition sites, different types/sizes of floor drains and pot saucers, and 65 liter water barrels, were infested with L3/L4 and treated with two doses of infective juveniles (IJs). Mortality rates were only 28 to 53% and 0.1 to 1.7% in pot saucers and water barrels, respectively, probably because ridges and grooves that marked the bottom internal surface of these containers hindered the encounter of larvae and IJs. The worldwide incidence, severity, and mortality rate of diseases caused by arboviruses – dengue fever – have grown dramatically in recent decades (Anonymous, 2019). A range of Heterorhabditis and Steinernema species have been shown to kill, at different rates, larvae and pupae of several mosquito species. Most IJs are injured by larval mouthparts, but some enter the hemocoel and overcome the insect’s defenses, causing mortality (Daad, 1971; Poinar and Kaul, 1982; Molta and Hominick, 1989)
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