Juvenile Turtles for Mosquito Control in Water Storage Tanks

Abstract

Juvenile turtles, Trachemys scripta, provided highly effective control of mosquito larvae in cement tanks (pilas) where water was stored for household cleaning. When single turtles were introduced to tanks with histories of high mosquito production, nearly all turtles remained in good health and no mosquito larvae survived to the pupal stage. Families welcome turtles in their water storage containers in Honduras. Humane conditions for turtles can be assured by providing small quantities of table scraps to supplement their diet and by placing a small floating platform in the tank for basking. Although turtles can serve as alternate hosts for Salmonella, available evidence suggests that turtles in tanks should not be a source of human infection. Further confirmation that there is no Salmonella hazard should precede routine use of turtles for mosquito control.

Multi‐modal Aedes aegypti mosquito reduction interventions and dengue fever prevention

“…Both studies utilized an integrated approach in which community members were taught modify their existing practices to maintain copepods in water containers and to dispose of unsuitable water containers. Biological methods of vector control such as copepods and bacteria, were also highly accepted by homeowners (Borjas et al. 1993; Gorrochotegui‐Escalante et al.…”

“…1998). Several authors reported that water was emptied or was subject to seasonal drying; resulting in the death or escape of the organism (Borjas et al. 1993; Gorrochotegui‐Escalante et al.…”

“…Both studies utilized an integrated approach in which community members were taught modify their existing practices to maintain copepods in water containers and to dispose of unsuitable water containers. Biological methods of vector control such as copepods and bacteria, were also highly accepted by homeowners (Borjas et al 1993;Gorrochotegui-Escalante et al 1998;Kay et al 2002;Nam et al 2005), were lethal only to the targeted vector and did not chemically contaminate the environment (World Health Organization 1997). Nevertheless, six biological studies (75%) were non-randomized assessments which inherently provide limited information.…”

“…According to field reports, the primary disadvantages of using predatory organisms included labour intensive maintenance (World Health Organization 1997;Lardeux et al 2002) and high turnover of organisms for containers with frequent use . Several authors reported that water was emptied or was subject to seasonal drying; resulting in the death or escape of the organism (Borjas et al 1993;Gorrochotegui-Escalante et al 1998;Lardeux et al 2002;Mahilum et al 2005) and one concern issued by the World Health Organization (1997) was that stronger, healthier adult mosquitoes might result from lower larval densities.…”

Combining two teaching techniques for young children on Aedes aegypti control: effects on entomological indices in western Mexico

“…Some biological control programs have been successful in controlling Ae. aegypti populations (Lima et al 2010, Ghosh et al 2011, Manna et al 2011), but in others, the introduced animals have been potential sources of pathogenic microorganisms (e.g., turtles) (Borjas et al 1993). Community‐based programs are among the most successful mosquito control methods in small rural communities.…”