Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis misting for control of Aedes in cryptic ground containers in north Queensland, Australia.
In Australia, dengue is not endemic, although the vector mosquito Aedes aegypti is established in far north Queensland (FNQ). Aedes albopictus has recently invaded the Torres Strait region, but is not established on mainland Australia. To maintain dengue-free, public health departments in FNQ closely monitor introduced dengue infections and confine outbreaks through rigorous vector control responses. To safeguard mainland Australia from Ae. albopictus establishment, pre-emptive strategies are required to reduce its breeding in difficult to access habitats. We compare the residual efficacy of VectoBac WDG, Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis (Bti) formulation, as a residual treatment when misted across a typical FNQ bushland using a backpack mister (Stihl SR 420 Mist Blower) at two dose rates up to 16 m. Semi-field condition results, over 16 weeks, indicate that Bti provided high mortality rates (> 80%) sustained for 11 weeks. Mist application penetrated 16 m of dense bushland without efficacy decline over distance.
School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine and Rehabilitative Sciences, The Cairns Institute, James Cook University, Cairns Queensland, Australia. susan.jacups2@jcu.edu.au
Susan P
SP
Jacups
Luke P
LP
Rapley
Petrina H
PH
Johnson
Seleena
S
Benjamin
Scott A
SA
Ritchie
D000330:Aedes / Q000382:microbiology*; D000818:Animals; D001413:Bacillus thuringiensis / Q000145:classification*; D003715:Dengue / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000635:transmission*; D007303:Insect Vectors / Q000382:microbiology*; D007306:Insecticides; D009032:Mosquito Control / Q000379:methods*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011793:Queensland / Q000453:epidemiology
D007306:Insecticides