Mosquito-vectored disease outbreaks are on the rise in the USA (4,858 in 2004 to 47,461 in 2016, CDC:National notifiable disease surveillance system). The increased incidents of the human cases of dengue virus,West Nile virus, and chikungunya virus among urban populations indicate the role of expanding urbanization infacilitating the production of disease-transmitting mosquitoes. Our proposal aims to develop a novelsemiochemical-based, blood-substitute gel bait to improve monitoring and control strategies for a variety ofmosquito species in our nation's urban communities. Bait has become the preferred method of control againstmany urban insect pests due to its economic cost, ease of deployment, and superior efficacy coupled withminimal impact on public health, environment, and non-target species. Despite this, bait technologies targetingmosquitoes are lacking, as their unique feeding behavior makes the use of typical solid baits difficult. Even thehighly investigated attractive toxic sugar baits (ATSB) targeting adult mosquitoes have failed to yield aneffective commercial product. This SBIR project proposes the development of a blood substitute gel bait thatwill exploit both the blood and sugar-feeding behavior of mosquitoes instead of only sugar feeding behavior asin ATSB baits. Specifically, we hypothesize that a bait matrix based on a combination of blood and sugar mealcomponents, combined with attractants, phagostimulants, and insecticides could effectively overcome many ofthe pitfalls of current chemical control methods and result in an effective commercial product that can be usedin the urban setting for mosquito control. Our research team recently reported that a prototype blood-substitutegel bait containing attractants, phagostimulants, and insecticides outperforms the only commercially availablemosquito ATSB product in head-to-head mosquito attraction and mortality comparisons. Accordingly, wepredict that targeting the blood-feeding behavior of mosquitos by incorporating long-distance attractants andreduced risk insecticide in gel bait formulations would be highly successful in reducing mosquito populations inurban settings. We propose three specific aims to test the technical feasibility of this approach for mosquitocontrol. In aim 1, we will determine if the addition of long-distance attractants can further increase mosquitoattraction to the gel bait. In aim 2, we will evaluate the performance of boric acid and spinosad as reduced riskbait insecticides against three different species of mosquito. In aim 3, we will test the efficacy of prototype baitcontaining newly identified attractants and insecticide (from aim 1 and 2) in semi-field test and determine theenvironmental stability of gel bait to access indoor and outdoor field life of this product. The results of our workwill build on Apex Bait Technologies' recent accumulated research on host attractants and bloodphagostimulants as well as on decade-long experience in research, development, and commercialization ofbait technologies for urban pests.
Public Health Relevance Statement: Statement of Public Health Relevance
Mosquitoes pose a significant public health threat due to their ability to vector several deadly
human pathogens including dengue virus, malaria, west nile virus, zika virus, and many more.
Insecticide-based strategies have been crucial for the control of these insects, but many are
inefficient, prone to the development of resistance, or pose significant environmental issues that
hinder their applicability. Results from our work will lead to the development of a novel gel bait
that exploits both the blood-feeding and nectar-feeding behavior of mosquitoes for their control
while overcoming the pitfalls of other currently used control methods, thereby directly reducing
mosquito biting and disease transmission when used in endemic urban areas.
Project Terms: <21+ years old>
