Aedes albopictus, an invasive mosquito species, is currently well established in many European countries, posing high risks to human health. A preliminary trial using repetitive releases of irradiated sterile male mosquitoes was designed, implemented and evaluated for the first time in Greece. The main scope of this trial was to investigate the efficacy of sterile insect technique (SIT) on wild population egg hatch rate in Greece using mass-produced sterile male mosquitoes from another country (Italy). The study was conducted in Vravrona area, close to Athens International Airport (Attica Region). The number of eggs laid in ovitraps was similar in all intervention and control plots. However, a significant reduction in egg hatch rate was recorded in the SIT plot in comparison with both control plots starting two weeks after the first release. This trial validates the logistics (transportation, releases handling and monitoring) as a major step towards implementing efficient, environmentally safe control approaches as an additional tool against the invasive Aedes species in Greece and more widely in Europe.

No abstract

Insects of the infraorder Cicadomorpha cause serious economic impact on agriculture because of pathogens’ transmission. The vector‐borne bacterium Xylella fastidiosa, which is associated with olive quick decline syndrome, is exclusively transmitted by insects of this infraorder and more specific by sharpshooters and spittlebugs. Efficient control practices of the insect vectors are necessary for the control of the disease in cases of outbreaks. Therefore, the knowledge of the vectors' species as well as the robust understanding of their biology and ecology is of crucial importance. In the present study, extensive sampling was conducted in 28 olive orchards of Greece during the years 2017 and 2018 aiming to investigate which species of this infraorder are present, with special interest to those which are considered as vectors of the bacterium. During the surveys, 4,350 Cicadomorpha insects were collected. Forty‐two, five and one species of the families Cicadellidae, Aphrophoridae and Cercopidae, respectively, were identified. The results of the surveys revealed that the main potential vectors of X. fastidiosa in Greek olive orchards are the spittlebugs Philaenus spumarius and Neophilaenus campestris. Those species have wide distribution in Greece and are present for a long period during the year, and they inhabit both the ground vegetation and the olive trees' canopy. A representative portion of the captured spittlebugs was analysed with molecular methods, and the analysis confirmed the absence of X. fastidiosa in the tested individuals.

Research was carried out to evaluate composted olive-mill waste as a peat substitute in foliage potted plant production. Rooted cuttings of Codiaeum variegatum (L.) A. Juss and Syngonium podophyllum Schott were grown for 5 months and Ficus benjamina L. for 10 months in media containing olive-mill waste compost (OWC), sphagnum peat and perlite in 1:3:4, 1:1:2, and 3:1:4 ratio (by volume), respectively, and their foliage and root growth was determined and compared to a control medium of 1 peat: 1 perlite (by volume). When up to 75% of peat in the control medium was replaced by OWC, C. variegatum foliage and root growth were similar compared with the control, while a 50% peat replacement gave the best growth. Syngonium podophyllum was more sensitive to peat replacement compared to C. variegatum, as only 25% of peat could be replaced by OWC without any reduction in foliage growth. The dry weight of the roots was not affected in all media tested. In F. benjamina, peat could be replaced up to 75% without effects on plant height and lateral shoot number, while the length of the laterals was progressively reduced with increasing OWC level. However, only at the highest OWC level (75% peat replacement) the laterals were shorter compared with the control. There was also a progressive reduction of main stem diameter, foliage fresh weight, and root dry weight with increasing OWC level in the medium. Even the lowest OWC level (25% peat replacement) caused a decrease of foliage and root weight compared with the control, with no effect though on plant visual quality. Even a 25% peat replacement by OWC caused an increase in bulk density. A considerable decrease of total porosity and readily available water were measured in media where 50% or 75% of peat was replaced by OWC. The pH of the medium with the highest OWC level was high during the first 4 months of culture compared to the other media. The electrical conductivity initially related to OWC level, but it decreased to values similar to that in the control medium during the first month of culture.

Community involvement in Aedes albopictus management can be very efficient and result in raising awareness among citizens. Toward this end, a door-to-door campaign can encourage active community participation in vector control. The current study describes the results of an intervention where a KAP (knowledge, attitude, practices) survey tool was paired with a door-to-door campaign and was implemented as an intervention method in Vravrona area (Attica, Greece) before the release of sterile males (sterile insect technique, SIT) against Aedes albopictus. The KAP tool was used to shed light on the knowledge, practices, and attitudes of local community members in order to better prepare and motivate participation in household mosquito control and to assess current understanding of SIT. Each household also received specific information about mosquito source habitat in their own yards at the time of the initial KAP survey. These household data were complemented by standardized mosquito trapping in the municipality. Our findings indicate that citizens’ attitude toward SIT ranged from indecisive to fully supportive, while 77.5% of the respondents agreed that the SIT has many advantages over chemical control methods. Furthermore, the results demonstrate that using the door-to-door campaign as an intervention and prerelease method before SIT can suppress the initial mosquito population and potentially improve its efficacy. Lastly, we show that the presence of local municipality officials during door-to-door visits was associated with increased willingness from the residents to participate in the intervention.