Abstract
BackgroundMass egg production is an important component of Aedes albopictus mosquito control programs, such as the sterile insect technique and incompatible insect technique, which requires the releases of large number of sterile males. Developing standard operating procedures and optimized cages for adult maintenance of Ae. albopictus can improve the mass rearing efficiency.MethodsThree different sex ratios of females to males with a total number of 4,000 mosquitoes were tested by evaluating the insemination rate, egg production (total number of eggs per cage), female fecundity and egg hatch rate in small cage (30 × 30 × 30 cm). Blood meals with adenosine triphosphate (ATP, 0.05 g/ml), cage structures (Big cage A: 90 × 30 × 30 cm; Big cage B: 90 × 30 × 50 cm or 90 × 50 × 30 cm) and rearing densities (12,000, 16,000 and 20,000 mosquitoes, corresponding to 0.9 cm2/mosquito, 0.675 cm2/mosquito and 0.54 cm2/mosquito, respectively) were also tested and evaluated on the basis of egg production, female fecundity and egg hatch rate. An adult rearing unit holding 15 of Big cage A with optimal egg production was designed to produce 10 million eggs per rearing cycle in a 1.8 m2 space.ResultsFemale to male ratios at 3:1 in small cages resulted in higher egg production but did not affect insemination rate, female fecundity and egg hatch rate. A concentration of 0.05 g/ml of ATP added to blood meals improved the blood-feeding frequency and thus increased the overall egg production per cage. Cage structures affected the egg production per cage, but not egg hatch rate. A medium rearing density at 0.675 cm2/mosquito (16,000 mosquitoes) resulted in higher egg production compared to both low and high densities. An adult rearing unit for Ae. albopictus on the basis of Big cage A has been developed with the capacity of producing 10 million eggs within 15 days.ConclusionsOur results have indicated that the adult rearing methods and adult maintenance unit are recommended for Ae. albopictus mass rearing in support of the establishment of a medium-sized mosquito factory.
Highlights
Mass egg production is an important component of Aedes albopictus mosquito control programs, such as the sterile insect technique and incompatible insect technique, which requires the releases of large number of sterile males
We first tested effects of different sex ratios of females to males on insemination rates (1:1, 2:1 and 3:1) and we observed the three tested ratios resulted in similar insemination rates in the small cage, with more than 96% females that had been successfully inseminated by males (Table 2)
As the number of female mosquitoes maintained in the cages were different, the individual female fecundity showed no significant difference between the three tested ratios (F(2, 12) = 2.72, P = 0.1063)
Summary
Mass egg production is an important component of Aedes albopictus mosquito control programs, such as the sterile insect technique and incompatible insect technique, which requires the releases of large number of sterile males. The current control strategies relying on the reduction of breeding sites and insecticide application are unsustainable and can become an economic and environmental burden on both public administration and human health [2, 3]. Vector control strategies such as the sterile insect technique (SIT), the incompatible insect technique (IIT), or a combination of both techniques, are currently under development for mosquito control [4]. As stated by the WHO in March 2017, the combined SIT/IIT technology has potential for long-term control of Ae. albopictus and Aedes aegypti mosquitoes [9]
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