21 - PESTICIDE-FREE MOSQUITO CONTROL VIA A PERSISTENT FOOD-GRADE SURFACE FILM

Abstract: Artificial containers around homes - such as rain barrels, buckets, tires, flowerpots, and catch basins - are primary breeding habitats for Aedes mosquitoes in the United States. Control typically relies on microbial larvicides (e.g., Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis [Bti], Lysinibacillus sphaericus), insect growth regulators like methoprene, and surface films that act by physical suffocation. However, most existing surface films lack persistence, require frequent reapplication, contain mineral oil compounds and/or are not food-grade. To address these limitations, we developed a novel, food-grade surfactant formulation that provides long-lasting physical suppression without chemical toxicity or resistance risk.

The formulation was applied as a thin surface film on water. Field trials were conducted in France and Germany in habitats dominated by Aedes albopictus and Culex pipiens. Laboratory assays with Aedes aegypti, Anopheles gambiae and Culex quinquefasciatus evaluated oviposition deterrence, while Aedes aegypti experiments assessed stage-specific susceptibility and dose–response relationships based on adult emergence outcomes.

In both field trials, no adults emerged from treated containers, whereas controls yielded full mosquito development. Laboratory tests showed strong oviposition deterrence for Aedes aegypti, Anopheles gambiae and Culex quinquefasciatus. Across species, the formulation rapidly killed early larvae, inhibited late-instar development, and completely prevented adult emergence. Dose–response studies with Aedes aegypti confirmed high efficacy at very low concentrations, with no measurable impact on water quality.

This novel surfactant formulation provides a safe and highly effective, pesticide-free solution for mosquito breeding site control. Active against multiple vector species, it represents a scalable and sustainable addition to integrated vector management programs, with strong potential for implementation in the United States and other regions with container-breeding Aedes populations.