The resting behavior of Aedes aegypti (L.) adults was investigated in 14 districts of Panama City, Panama, in relation to ground ultra-low volume (ULV) applications of malathion. Adults primarily rested inside the premises (75.1%) at a distance Ͼ6 m from the street (86.4%). Both sexes rested mainly in bedrooms, living rooms, and bathrooms. The small ULV aerosol droplets (2Ð 4 m) penetrated all indoor resting sites of Ae. aegypti, but in low amounts. Because of the low amount of insecticide reaching the primary resting sites within the premises, limited control of the Ae. aegypti was obtained. This limited the potential effectiveness of ground vehicle ULV applied insecticide as a dengue epidemic control method.KEY WORDS Aedes aegypti, culicidae, resting behavior, ultra-low volume insecticides DURING THE 1950S and 1960s, Ͼ20 countries in the Americas were able to eradicate Aedes aegypti (L.), but in the last 20 yr, almost every one of these countries including Panama has become reinfested and has had sizable epidemics of dengue fever (Gubler and Kuno 1997). Although future outbreaks of dengue fever may be avoided by eliminating larval habitats through community participation, there are still areas with Ae. aegypti infestation that may allow outbreaks of the disease. For this reason, emergency measures must be available for use in future dengue outbreaks.The intervention used during epidemics is the ground application of small quantities of aerosol insecticide (ultra-low volume or ULV). Elsewhere, ULV applications have been shown repeatedly to give Ͻ100% control of adult Ae. aegypti populations (Hudson 1986, Focks et al. 1987, Perich et al. 1990. One reason for this reduced effectiveness is Ae. aegypti resting behavior. A portion of the population is found in wardrobes, under beds, behind furniture and in closed rooms where it is difÞcult for aerosol droplets to reach. Focks et al. (1987) hypothesized that gravid females remain sequestered during treatment periods in places that are well-protected from aerosols.Schoof (1967) indicated that the resting habits of this mosquito are relatively unknown, but suggested that adults gather at breeding places, resting there and on adjoining surfaces. In Thailand, Pant and Yasuno (1970) demonstrated that 95% of the mosquitoes rest indoors, and of these, Ͼ90% did so on surfaces that could not be sprayed with residual compounds, such as clothing, pictures, decorative objects, coverlets, and mosquito nets. This Þnding indicated that it was of little value to use residual insecticides on indoor walls. Nelson (1986) reported that mosquitoes rested indoors most frequently in bedrooms, bathrooms, and kitchens where they preferred vertical surfaces such as walls, furniture, and hanging articles such as clothing, towels, curtains, and mosquito nets, although they also were found on the ceiling and under furniture such as beds.Detailed investigation of the resting behavior of Ae. aegypti is needed if chemical control is to be adopted for the control of adult mosquitoes. In th...

Field evaluation of a "lethal ovitrap" (LO) to control dengue vector Aedes mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae), was undertaken in two Brazilian municipalities, Areia Branca and Nilopolis, in the State of Rio de Janeiro. The LO is designed to kill Aedes via an insecticide-treated ovistrip (impregnated with deltamethrin). In each municipality, the intervention was applied to a group of 30 houses (10 LOs/house) and compared to 30 houses without LOs in the same neighbourhood. Five LOs were put outside and five LOs inside each treated house. Three methods of monitoring Aedes density were employed: (i) percentage of containers positive for larvae and/or pupae; (ii) total pupae/house; (iii) total adult females/house collected by aspirator indoors. Weekly mosquito surveys began during the month before LO placement, by sampling from different groups of 10 houses/week for 3 weeks pre-intervention (i.e. 30 houses/month) and for 3 months post-intervention in both treated and untreated areas. Prior to LO placement at the end of February 2001, Aedes aegypti (L) densities were similar among houses scheduled for LO treatment and comparison (untreated control) at each municipality. Very few Ae. albopictus (Skuse) were found and this species was excluded from the assessment. Post-intervention densities of Ae. aegypti were significantly reduced for most comparators (P < 0.01), as shown by fewer positive containers (4-5 vs. 10-18) and pupae/house (0.3-0.7 vs. 8-10) at LO-treated vs. untreated houses, 3 months post-treatment at both municipalities. Numbers of adult Ae. aegypti females indoors were consistently reduced in LO-treated houses at Areia Branca (3.6 vs. 6.8/house 3 months post-intervention) but not at Niloplis (approximately 3/house, attributed to immigration). These results demonstrate sustained impact of LOs on dengue vector population densities in housing conditions of Brazilian municipalities.

In 1999 and 2000 we evaluated a lethal ovitrap (LO) for the control of Aedes aegypti (L.) in three villages in Ratchaburi Province, Thailand. Two blocks of 50 houses (a minimum of 250 m apart) served as treatment and control sites in each village, with each house in the treatment area receiving 10 LOs. Thirty houses in the center of each treatment and control block were selected as sampling sites, with larval and adult mosquito sampling initiated when LOs were placed. Sampling was conducted weekly in 10 of the 30 houses at each site, with each block of 10 houses sampled every third week. Sampling continued for 30 wk. Efficacy of the LO was evaluated by determining number of containers with larvae and/or pupae per house and number of adult mosquitoes collected inside each house. In 1999, the LO had a negligible impact on all measures of Ae. aegypti abundance that were assessed; however, fungal contamination of insecticide-impregnated strips may have been responsible for the low efficacy. In 2000, significant suppression was achieved based on changes in multiple entomologic criteria (containers with larvae, containers with pupae, and number of adult Ae. aegypti); however, control was not absolute and neither immature nor adult Ae. aegypti were ever eliminated completely. We conclude that the LO can reduce adult Ae. aegypti populations in Thailand; however, efficacy of the LO is lower than desired due primarily to the high number of alternative oviposition sites. LO efficacy may be improved when used as part of an integrated control program that places emphasis on reduction of adjacent larval habitats. Further studies are required to assess this issue.

Laboratory tests were conducted to determine the feasibility of making the mosquito ovitrap lethal to Aedes aegypti (L.) when they attempt to oviposit in the trap. Heavy-weight velour paper strips (2.54 x 11 cm) were used as an alternative to the wooden paddle normally provided as a substrate for mosquito oviposition. The paper strips were pretreated with insecticide solutions and allowed to dry before being used in oviposition cups of 473 ml capacity, filled with water initially to within 2.5 cm of the brim. Insecticides chosen for their quick knock-down efficacy were bendiocarb 76% WP (1.06 mg a.i./strip) and four pyrethroids: permethrin 25% WP (0.16 mg a.i./strip), deltamethin 4.75% SC (0.87 mg a.i./strip), cypermethrin 40% WP (2.81 mg a.i./strip), and cyfluthrin 20% WP (0.57 mg a.i./ strip). For experimental evaluation, two oviposition cups (one with an insecticide-treated strip and one with an untreated strip) were placed in cages (cubic 30 cm) with gravid female Ae. aegypti mosquitoes (aged 6-8 days) from a susceptible laboratory strain. Mortality-rates of female mosquitoes were 45% for bendiocarb, 47% for permethrin, 98% for deltamethrin, 100% for cypermethrin, and 100% for cyfluthrin. Young instar larvae added to the treated cups died within 2h. After water evaporation from the cups for 38 days, fresh mosquito females had access to previously submerged portions of the velour paper paddle, and mortality rates of 59% or more occurred. Cups that had water (360 ml) dripped into them, to simulate rain, produced female mosquito mortality rates of > 50% and all larvae died within 3 h of being added. These tests demonstrate that the ovitrap can be made lethal to both adults and larvae by insecticidal treatment of the ovistrip. Field efficacy trials are underway in Brazil to access the impact of this simple, low-cost, environmentally benign approach on populations of the dengue vector Ae. aegypti.

Whole-plant Soxhlet extractions for the three Tagetes species showed that T. minuta had the greatest biocidal effect on the larvae and adults of Aedes aegypti (L.) and Anopheles stephensi Liston. Bioassays of simultaneous steam distillation extractions of the various parts of T. minuta found extracts from the flowers provided LD90s of 4 and 8 ppm against the larvae and 0.4 and 0.45% against the adults of A. aegypti and A. stephensi, respectively. Further research on T. minuta floral extracts as new biorational insecticides are discussed.