The efficacy of three suction traps for trapping phlebotomine sand flies (Diptera: Psychodidae) was compared. Traps were baited with Co 2 and used without any light source. Co 2 -baited CDC traps were evaluated either in their standard downdraft orientation or inverted (iCDC traps). Mosquito Magnet-X (MMX) counterflow geometry traps were tested in the updraft orientation only. Both updraft traps (iCDC and MMX) were deployed with their opening ~10 cm from the ground while the opening of the downdraft (CDC) trap was ~40 cm above ground. Comparisons were conducted in two arid locations where different sand fly species prevail. In the Jordan Valley, 3,367 sand flies were caught, 2,370 of which were females. The predominant species was Phlebotomus (Phlebotomus) papatasi, Scopoli 1786 (>99%). The updraft-type traps iCDC and MMX caught an average of 118 and 67.1 sand flies per trap night, respectively. The CDC trap caught 32.9 sand flies on average per night, significantly less than the iCDC traps. In the Judean desert, traps were arranged in a 3×3 Latin square design. A total of 565 sand flies were caught, 345 of which were females. The predominant species was P.
Insecticide-treated vertical net barriers were used to intercept foraging sand flies. Two different nets were draped on fenced enclosures (10 by 10 m; 2 m high) in the central Jordan Valley. One enclosure was draped with a deltamethrin-impregnated net (PermaNet, 225 holes/in2). The holes of this net are sufficiently large to allow sand flies to pass through but not without coming in close contact with the mesh. The other enclosure was covered with SpiderNet+ (1,240 holes/in2) and sprayed with beta-cyfluthrin. Sand flies were captured inside and outside the enclosures before and after draping with the nets using CO2-baited CDC traps or CDC light traps. Both barrier types exhibited > 90% efficacy in blocking sand flies from entering the enclosures (P < 0.01). The Spider-Net+ exhibited high efficiency even before being sprayed with insecticide because the small mesh size physically prevented flies from passing through. In Ma'ale Adumim, a 60-m-long, 2-m-high PermaNet barrier was erected to intercept sand flies approaching houses from their natural habitats. Sand flies were monitored on all sides of the barrier using CO2-baited CDC traps or CDC light traps. Results showed a 60% reduction in the mean number of sand flies trapped behind the net compared with the untreated areas adjacent to it (P < 0.05). Integrated vector control campaigns for reducing the burden of sand fly bites should consider vertical fine-mesh nets to reduce the numbers of sand flies arriving at inhabited areas.
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