The efficacy of attractive toxic sugar baits (ATSB) with the active ingredient eugenol, an Environmental Protection Agency exempt compound, was evaluated against vector and nuisance mosquitoes in both laboratory and field studies. In the laboratory, eugenol combined in attractive sugar bait (ASB) solution provided high levels of mortality for Aedes aegypti, Culex quinquefasciatus, and Anopheles quadrimaculatus. Field studies demonstrated significant control: > 70% reduction for Aedes atlanticus, Ae. infirmatus, and Culex nigripalpus and > 50% reduction for An. crucians, Uranotaenia sapphirina, Culiseta melanura, and Cx. erraticus three weeks post ATSB application. Furthermore, non-target feeding of six insect orders, Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera, Coleoptera, Diptera, Hemiptera, and Orthoptera, was evaluated in the field after application of a dyed-ASB to flowering and non-flowering vegetation. ASB feeding (staining) was determined by dissecting the guts and searching for food dye with a dissecting microscope. The potential impact of ATSB on non-targets, applied on green non-flowering vegetation was low for all non-target groups (0.9%). However, application of the ASB to flowering vegetation resulted in significant staining of the non-target insect orders. This highlights the need for application guidelines to reduce non-target effects. No mortality was observed in laboratory studies with predatory non-targets, spiders, praying mantis, or ground beetles, after feeding for three days on mosquitoes engorged on ATSB. Overall, our laboratory and field studies support the use of eugenol as an active ingredient for controlling important vector and nuisance mosquitoes when used as an ATSB toxin. This is the first study demonstrating effective control of anophelines in non-arid environments which suggest that even in highly competitive sugar rich environments this method could be used for control of malaria in Latin American countries.

The effect of spraying a mixture of the insect growth regulator (IGR) pyriproxyfen (1 mg/liter) and either 1% boric acid sugar bait or eugenol sugar bait on croton petra plants (Codiaeum variegatum L.) was evaluated against the container-inhabiting mosquito, Aedes albopictus (Skuse). Treatments were applied to plants and evaluated against adult and larval Ae. albopictus in the laboratory through contact and wash off experiments, respectively. The control treatment lacked an active ingredient and were treated with an attractive sugar bait. The plants treated with attractive toxic sugar baits plus the IGR resulted in 60-100% mortality of laboratory-reared adult Ae. albopictus. The pyriproxyfen solutions collected from the plant wash experiment resulted in 80-100% emergence inhibition to the exposed third- and fourth-instar larvae, compared with the untreated control. Attractive toxic sugar baits mixed with the IGR not only provide effective control of adult mosquitoes, but also provide additional control of larval mosquitoes after being washed off from the treated plants.

The effectiveness and penetration of a novel, truck-mounted mist sprayer (3WC-30-4P provided by American LongRay) was evaluated with bifenthrin in a large, park-like setting with historic floodwater and woodland mosquito populations. Efficacy evaluations were determined through adult population collections and excised leaf bioassays. Trapping results showed a mean reduction of 77% in mosquito populations in the treated area for 5 sampling events up to 4 wk posttreatment. Leaf bioassays revealed an average mortality of 80% at 2.7 m and 51% at 5.5 m against laboratory-reared Aedes aegypti for 5 posttreatment samples. Leaves collected from the treated areas caused higher mortality at distances closer to the sprayer, though the distance and coverage of bifenthrin application was effective up to 5 m.

Attractive toxic sugar bait (ATSB) was applied to 5 different types of commonly found plants in landscaping of northeastern Florida. The ATSB applications were assessed for possible plant effects and preference against Aedes albopictus in semifield evaluations. Positive and negative controls consisted of plants sprayed with attractive sugar bait (no toxicant) and plants with nothing applied. Bioassays were conducted on stems with leaf clippings and on full plants to assess any difference in mosquito mortality on the different plants. Plants utilized in these evaluations were Indian hawthorne, Yaupon holly, Japanese privet, Loropetalum ruby, and podocarpus. In both assays, no significant difference was observed in the effect of ATSBs on adult female mosquitoes based on the type of plant. ATSB could be applied to common landscape plants for adult Ae. albopictus control.

Studies were conducted to determine if pyriproxyfen, an insect growth regulator (IGR) added to attractive toxic sugar baits (ATSBs) and ingested by adult Aedes albopictus (Skuse), could be fecally disseminated into water to inhibit emergence of mosquitoes (EI). Experimental treatments consisted of four dilutions of pyriproxyfen (0.5, 1, 5, and 10 ppb) in ATSB, with attractive sugar bait (ASB) serving as the negative control. To ensure no tarsal transfer of the IGR, the experimental treatments were dispensed in collagen sausages. Mosquito excrement was collected on card stock at the bottom of the mosquito cages at 1, 4, 6, and 8 h during the study. There were no differences between the EI times at which the fecal cards were collected (F=1.8, P = 0.1592). The highest dilution of pyriproxyfen in ATSB (10 ppb) inhibited mosquito emergence in the most amounts (57%), as compared with the EI of other pyriproxyfen dilutions: 0.5 ppb = 42%, 1 ppb = 34%, and 5 ppb = 46% (F=1.8, P = 0.1592). This study demonstrates that pyriproxyfen can be fecally disseminated into water and control larvae through adult mosquito ingestion and excretion of pyriproxyfen in ASB.