A comparative study on the efficiency of leaf infusions from selected native plants as oviposition attractants for Aedes aegypti L

• Main Authors: Cho, Eun Bee, Dela Cruz, Alyssa Kyle R.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2019
• Subjects: Plants > Philippines; Endemic plants; Aedes albopictus; Mosquitoes > Philippines; Leaves > Philippines
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_bachelors/9643
• Institution: De La Salle University

Aedes aegypti mosquitoes are known vectors of epidemic diseases such as chikungunya, zika, and dengue. The vaccine against the dengue virus, a confirmed viral infection in the country by the Department of Health, is still under investigation. Data on the vaccine efficacy are insufficient, which is why other means of controlling the disease is being explored. Active monitoring and surveillance of vectors should be done to determine the effectiveness of other control interventions. The research was conducted to perform a comparative analysis of different oviposition attractants, mainly leaf infusions, for Ae. aegypti mosquitoes. This research also examined which time of the day the mosquitoes prefer to oviposit. Two tests were done: oviposition attractant evaluation using No Choice and Choice tests, and time of oviposition preference through Oviclock chamber. For evaluation of oviposition attractant, treatments included are infusions from lawanit, hay, bamboo, and a new tea bag infusion, water served as the control check. In the No Choice test, five gravid female mosquitoes were placed in each cage with specific leaf infusions while in the Choice test, 25 gravid female mosquitoes were placed in cages with all the infusions arranged randomly. Both experiments were replicated three times. The mosquitoes were allowed to oviposit for three days. Both tests revealed that hay infusion had significantly the highest number of eggs laid. In the Oviclock experiment, hay infusion was used as the oviposition attractant being the most preferred attractant based on the oviposition attractant experiment. The experiment was performed for a total of 24 hours. Results showed that Ae. aegypti preferred to lay eggs between 1700H to 2200H, with 1900H being the peak hour of oviposition, which revealed oviposition time mostly in the evening similar to previous works. Result of these experiments is essential in the design of a trapping system for Ae. aegypti, which needs further exploration.