Abstract

After its first introduction in the 1980’s the Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus (Skuse), has spread throughout Southern Europe. Ae. albopictus is considered an epidemiologically important vector for the transmission of many viral pathogens such as the yellow fever virus, dengue fever and Chikungunya fever, as well as several filarial nematodes such as Dirofilaria immitis or D. repens. It is therefore crucial to develop measures to reduce the risks of disease transmission by controlling the vector populations. The aim of the study was to compare the efficacy of two application techniques (mist vs. stretcher sprayer) and two insecticides (Etox based on the nonester pyrethroid Etofenprox vs. Microsin based on the pyrethroid type II Cypermetrin) in controlling adult tiger mosquito populations in highly populated areas. To test the effect of the two treatments pre- and post-treatment human landing rate counts were conducted for two years. After one day from the treatment we observed a 100% population decrease in mosquito abundance with both application methods and both insecticides. However, seven and 14 days after the application the stretcher sprayer showed larger population reductions than the mist sprayer. No effect of insecticide type after one day and 14 days was found, while Etox caused slightly higher population reduction than Microsin after seven days. Emergency measures to locally reduce the vector populations should adopt adulticide treatments using stretcher sprayers. However, more research is still needed to evaluate the potential negative effects of adulticide applications on non-target organisms.

Highlights

  • After its first introduction in the 1980’s the Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus (Skuse), has started to spread throughout Southern Europe [1,2,3]

  • The effect of application method was significant with a higher population reduction of the stretcher compared to the mist sprayer

  • The study indicated that one day after the application a very high reduction, close to 100%, of the mosquito populations was obtained by both insecticides and by both application methods

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Summary

Introduction

After its first introduction in the 1980’s the Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus (Skuse), has started to spread throughout Southern Europe [1,2,3]. In urban areas the tiger mosquito can quickly spread and reach high population densities due to the presence of catch basins in the drain system [5]. There are several strategies to control Ae. albopictus at both larval and adult stage. The larval control involves the chemical treatment of the catch basins and other breeding sites [11]. While the control of tiger mosquito is most efficiently accomplished at the larval stage, emergency situations may sometimes require the use of adulticides [12,13]. In Europe ULV aerial sprays for mosquito control is still forbidden and residual pesticide applications on mosquito resting sites are the only measure available to control adult mosquito populations [21]. Understanding the influence of application method on the efficacy of the insecticide becomes a crucial step to improve the control of adult mosquitoes

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