Aedes albopictus (Skuse) is a serious threat to human health as a vector of arboviruses such as dengue, chikungunya (Lambrechts et al. 2010, Gubler 1998, and Zika (Wong et al. 2013). Adult Ae. albopictus are controlled primarily via ground and aerial ultra-low volume applications of insecticides. The chemical insecticides may potentially pollute the environment, and mosquito populations gradually develop resistance to them (Waits et al. 2017). The future for mosquito control requires safer and more effective alternatives to replace and improve currently used adulticides.Male and female mosquitoes require carbohydrates after emerging for energy, survival, and reproduction (Yuval 1992, Foster 1995. Adult Ae. albopictus mosquitoes, like other mosquito species, need regular sugar meals (Muller et al. 2010a, Xue et al. 2010. Attractive toxic sugar bait (ATSB) is a novel method for adult mosquito control. This control method takes advantage of mosquito sugar-feeding behavior by mixing insecticides with their food (Lea 1965. The ingredients in ATSB are fruit juice (attractive), 10% sugar (feeding stimulator), and 1% boric acid (stomach toxin), and adult male and female mosquitoes usually die 24-48 h after ingestion of TSB or ATSB Barnard 2003, Xue et al. 2008). The ingredients of toxic sugar bait (TSB) are usually 10% sugar and 1% boric acid, without fruit juice as an attractant. When applied to foliage, TSB or ATSB was successful in controlling Ae. albopictus in both semi-field conditions (Xue et al. 2006) and residential communities in St. Augustine, FL (Naranjo, et al. 2013). ATSB or TSB can be targeted to males when timed to their emergence. Male mosquitoes typically emerge at least 12 h earlier than females (Xue and Barnard 1997) and feed only on sugar for nutrition and survival (Xue et al. 2010). This early emergence time and complete dependence on sugar for survival suggests male mosquitoes can be affected by TSB or ATSB. If TSB or ATSB exposure is directed to this early emergence time, it may have an indirect effect on female mosquito fecundity and fertility.In this study, we tested the hypothesis that mosquito reproductive capacity is negatively affected if male Ae. albopictus are exposed to TSB before females emerge. After a brief exposure period to TSB, male and female mortality were analyzed to see if the exposure period only affected males. Next, reproductive effects of females exposed to TSB were analyzed by counting the number of eggs laid and the hatch rate. Each assessment of TSB was compared to a 10% sucrose control.The Ae. albopictus strain was obtained from the USDA, ARS, Center for Medical, Agricultural, and Veterinary Entomology, in Gainesville, FL and reared in the insectary at Anastasia Mosquito Control District (AMCD) in St. Augustine, according to the method described by Gerberg et al. (1994). The adult mosquitoes were fed a 10% sucrose solution ad libitum, and were maintained in a photoperiod of 14:10 (L:D) h at 80% relative humidity and temperature of 27º C.The toxic sugar bait (TSB) formu...
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