BioGreen proud to offer environmentally friendly mosquito control
A novel tool to combat Aedes mosquitoes that transmit Dengue, Chikungunya, Yellow Fever and Zika virus
Dengue, Chikungunya, Yellow Fever and Zika virus are rapidly spreading mosquito-borne viral diseases. They are difficult to diagnose and treat, and mosquito control is the only option to stop transmission.
Aedes mosquitoes are difficult to control as they lay their eggs in very small breeding sites and have become resistant to chemical insecticides. The In2Care? Mosquito Trap attracts and kills Aedes females with novel green ingredients that target both mosquito larvae and adults. It is the first to exploit the concept of ‘autodissemination’, resulting in an effective kill of mosquito larvae in breeding sites surrounding the Trap.
In2Care? Mosquito Traps can be placed outdoors at a recommended density of 1/400 m2 (10 Traps per acre) and be maintained every 4 weeks using refill sachets. The product lends itself perfectly for use in vector control programs, particularly in hotspot areas, and by professional pest management companies for Aedes mosquito control services at resorts, hotels and residential sites.
Unique larvicide autodissemination
Aedes aegypti can transmit Dengue, Chikungunya and Zika virus to humans. They are attracted to small man-made breeding sites and have a unique egg-laying behaviour; spreading eggs over several
breeding sites to minimise risks for their offspring. The In2Care? Mosquito Trap exploits this behaviour by contaminating the female mosquito body and using her to spread larvicide to multiple
breeding sites around the Trap. Via this “autodissemination” the Trap can kill virtually all mosquito larvae in its surroundings before these become biting adults. In this way small
cryptic breeding can be effectively controlled.
How does it work?
The In2Care? Mosquito Trap is made of durable plastic and uses water with an odor lure to attract egg-laying Aedes mosquitoes. Once inside, mosquitoes contact the specially treated gauze near the water surface and get contaminated with a larvicide and a fungus. We exploit the fact that Aedes like to divide their eggs over multiple sites; by letting them fly out of the Trap whilst carrying larvicide on their legs. They transport the larvicide and contaminate several breeding sites around the Trap. In this way, we can kill larvae in small and hard to find breeding
sources. The mosquito also gets infected with an insect-specific fungus that kills her before she can spread disease.
A multi-impact tool:
- Kills all larvae inside the Trap
- Kills larvae in surrounding breeding sites
- Kills exposed mosquitoes
- Stops virus development
An environmentally friendly solution
Insecticide resistance has become a major problem in countries infested by Aedesmosquitoes. Area-wide insecticide fogging is still being used but is showing limited efficacy and major impacts on non-target organisms. This necessitates a switch to more sustainable, environmentally friendly vector control. The In2Care? Mosquito Trap is the first Trap that uses a biological control agent to kill mosquitoes. It deploys an US-EPA-approved fungus that kills the mosquito several days after infection and can prevent disease transmission. The Trap larvicide is US-EPAapproved and WHO-recommended for mosquito control and use in drinking water. Both bioactives have short halflives and pose very low risks for non-target organisms.
In2Care? Mosquito Traps deploy a small dose of bioactive mixture in an enclosed point-source environment that is specifically attractive to mosquitoes. Only tiny amounts of larvicide will get spread to other breeding sites (mostly small man-made containers), which is enough to kill mosquito larvae (as <10 ppb PPF works well) but not enough to cause risk for non-target organisms like fish or mammals. In this way, our Traps offer an effective mosquito control option without drastic use of chemicals in the entire environment.
Published & Field validated Results
Field efficacy studies were performed in Trinidad, Cayman Isl and Florida, USA. The Manatee County Mosquito Control District tests for US-EPA registration used local strains of Aedes aegypti and albopictus. Results confirmed that the fungus effectively kills mosquitoes several days after gauze exposure (graph A), which allows them to also disseminate larvicide to other sites before dying. There were massive reductions in adult mosquitoes produced in other sites near the Trap; >80% were inhibited from emerging as adult mosquito (graph B). See all results at: http://www.bioone.org/doi/full/10.2987/17-6642R.1
In2Care? Mosquito Traps were initially developed and scientifically validated in our mosquito laboratory using wild-type Aedes colonies (www.parasitesandvectors.com/content/7/1/200). The Trap deploys a very special type of gauze developed by In2Care. It holds the bioactives via electrostatic binding forces, which enables a high dose transfer when mosquitoes make contact and causes high levels of mortality (see http://www.pnas.org/content/112/39/12081.full.pdf).
Field efficacy studies were performed in Trinidad, Cayman Isl and Florida, USA. The Manatee County Mosquito Control District tests for US-EPA registration used local strains of Aedes aegypti and albopictus. Results confirmed that the fungus effectively kills mosquitoes several days after gauze exposure (graph A), which allows them to also disseminate larvicide to other sites before dying. There were massive reductions in adult mosquitoes produced in other sites near the Trap; >80% were inhibited from emerging as adult mosquito (graph B). See all results at: http://www.bioone.org/doi/full/10.2987/17-6642R.1
