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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Gainesville, Florida » Center for Medical, Agricultural and Veterinary Entomology » Mosquito and Fly Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #390669
Research Project: Integrated Pest Management of Mosquitoes and Biting Flies

Location: Mosquito and Fly Research

Title: Evaluation of potential spatial repellency of contact repleents against Aedes aegypti in a wind tunnel

Author
item FAROOQ, MUHAMMAD - Anastasia Mosquito Control District
item BLORE, KAI - Anastasia Mosquito Control District
item XUE, RUI-DE - Anastasia Mosquito Control District
item Linthicum, Kenneth - Ken

Submitted to: Journal of the Florida Mosquito Control Association
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/5/2022
Publication Date: 3/30/2022
Citation: Farooq, M., Blore, K., Xue, R., Linthicum, K. 2022. Evaluation of potential spatial repellency of contact repleents against Aedes aegypti in a wind tunnel. Journal of the Florida Mosquito Control Association. 69(1):70-73. https://doi.org/10.32473/jfmca.v69i1.130637.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.32473/jfmca.v69i1.130637

Interpretive Summary: Application of mosquito repellents to skin and clothes is one of the important individual protection practices to protect against the bite of mosquitoes and prevent mosquito-transmitted diseases. It is recommended that mosquito repellents applied to the skin should cover all exposed skin. We evaluated four mosquito repellents designed to be applied to the skin for their potential to serve as spatial repellents, repelling mosquitoes without contact against laboratory reared Aedes aegypti L. and Ae. aegypti females exposed to a radiation dose sufficient to sterilize (50 Gy). We observed that there was a slight indication that some of these repellents acted like a spatial repellent; however, there was no evidence that the repellents could protect untreated skin. It is important to follow EPA repellent label directions when applying mosquito to all exposed skin.

Technical Abstract: The use of topically applied contact repellents is one of the important individual protection practices to protect against the vector-borne diseases. Recommendations for contact repellents indicate that they should be applied to all exposed skin; however, it is important to know whether there is a spatial repellency impact on host-seeking mosquitoes. We evaluated four contact repellents containing mixture of geraniol and soybean natural oils, DEET, picardin, and p-Menthane-3,8-diol (PMD) for their potential as spatial repellents against laboratory reared Aedes aegypti L. and Ae. aegypti females exposed to a radiation dose sufficient to sterilize (50 Gy). Evaluations were conducted in a modular wind tunnel which provided mosquitoes the option to move, within 15 minutes, to the repellent side holding a repellent or to the attractant side holding BG lure. Then, mosquitoes on each side were counted and percent calculated based on the number of mosquitoes released for each test. Repellents containing PMD had significantly more non-irradiated mosquitoes on the attractant side than on the repellent side indicating that it repelled non-irradiated mosquitoes. Picardin had significantly more irradiated mosquitoes on the attractant side than on the repellent side indicating that it repelled irradiated mosquitoes. The subtle change in behavior of irradiated and non-irradiated mosquitoes was observed by these repellents should not create a false sense of protection that some areas of untreated skin are protected. These results emphasize that it is important to strictly follow available the guidance that contact repellents tested in this study should be applied to all exposed skin.