Bait‐fed adult Culex pipiens carry the larvicide Bacillus sphaericus to the larval habitat

Abstract

Sugar meals of plant origin are a basic component of mosquito diet. We show that sugar baits have potential as vehicles for control agents. When Culex pipiens L. resting-sites were sprayed with sucrose solution, with or without incorporation of the larval toxicant Bacillus sphaericus Neide, 47% of female mosquitoes fed in situ. Dispersing B. sphaericus-carrier mosquitoes caused larval mortality in breeding-sites 60-100 m from the sprayed resting-sites. The effect was not seen where no adults rested in sparse vegetation above larval habitats. This approach may be useful for the application of biological control agents against mosquitoes in biotopes where the adults and larvae are juxtaposed.