Journal of Economic Entomology (2003) 96, 1559-1562

Rui-De Xue and Donald R. Barnard (2003)
Boric acid bait kills adult mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae)
Journal of Economic Entomology 96 (5), 1559-1562
Abstract: The toxicity of boric acid solutions to adult Anopheles quadrimaculatus Say, Culex nigripalpus Theobald, and Aedes albopictus Skuse was evaluated in the laboratory. Median lethal concentrations (LC₅₀ in %) at 24-h exposure for male and female An. quadrimaculatus were 0.317 and 0.885, respectively; for Cx. nigripalpus, 0.273 and 0.560, respectively; and for Ae. albopictus, 0.174 and 0.527, respectively. The LC₅₀ values at 48-h exposure for male and female An. quadrimaculatus were 0.101 and 0.395, respectively; for Cx. nigripalpus, 0.098 and 0.255, respectively; and for Ae. albopictus, 0.078 and 0.244, respectively. In laboratory tests, access for 48 h to sucrose (10%) water containing 1% boric acid (boric acid bait) resulted in 98% mortality in blood fed, gravid, and parous Ae. albopictus. When offered a choice between boric acid bait and sucrose water, 52% of male and 33% of female Ae. albopictus ingested sufficient boric acid bait in 24 h to cause death; after 48 h, respective percent mortalities were 88 and 58%. In outdoor tests, in a walk-in screened cage (156 m³) containing 1,250 female Ae. albopictus, mosquito biting rates on the exposed forearm of a human subject in 3-min exposure were reduced > 78% for the boric acid bait treatment, compared with a sucrose water control.
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Database assignments for author(s): Rui De Xue, Donald R. Barnard

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
control - general

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Anopheles quadrimaculatus
	Culex nigripalpus
	Aedes albopictus