Parasites and Vectors (2015) 8 (575) - Metallic ...

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Norbert Becker, Thin Thin Oo and Nino Schork (2015)
Metallic copper spray – a new control technique to combat invasive container-inhabiting mosquitoes
Parasites and Vectors 8 (575)
Abstract:
Background
The control of container-inhabiting mosquitoes is mainly based on environmental management with special emphasis on community participation e.g. source reduction by elimination or modification of water bodies. However, citizens are often not aware of the problems related to urban mosquito control or just ignore the advice provided during anti-mosquito control campaigns. In particular, cemeteries contain favourite breeding sites for container-inhabiting mosquitoes like Ochlerotatus j. japonicus, Culex pipiens s.l./Cx. torrentium, Aedes aegypti or Aedes albopictus. In our study, we investigated whether metallic copper e.g. in form of copper spray can be a suitable and cost-effective tool to combat mosquito breeding in vases or other similar small containers where no commonly used insecticides can be applied.
Methods
The effect of metallic copper spray in comparison to 5 Euro cent coins or copper tubes at different dosages and water qualities applied in small water collections such as widely used plastic grave vases were evaluated by assessing the mortality rates of larvae of Oc.j. japonicus, Cx. pipiens s.l./Cx. torrentium and Ae.aegypti. Different water qualities were tested to assess the influence of pH on the solubility of the copper ions. The copper concentrations were quantified using ICP/MS (Inductively coupled plasma/Mass spectrometry) in relation to the exposure time and mortality rates of mosquito larvae. All statistical analyses were computed using JMP 10.0.2 (SAS Institute Inc., 2012, Cary, NC, USA).
Results
Dosages of less than 500 ppb of copper in the water of small containers led to a 100 % mortality rate after 2 weeks for all tested mosquito species by using one or more 5 Euro cent coins/vase. When the interior surface of plastic grave vases was covered by metallic copper spray, all of the tested larvae died after 7–10 days in the laboratory and under field conditions the reduction rate was 99.44 % for Oc.j. japonicus and 99.6 % for Culex pipiens s.l./Cx. torrentium larvae for a period of about 3 months.
Conclusion
The use of metallic copper spray provides a sustainable control of container-inhabiting mosquitoes at low costs. The amount of dissolved copper in water (about 500 ppb) is far below the critical value for drinking water according to the WHO recommendations and is therefore not detrimental for the environment.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
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Database assignments for author(s): Norbert Becker

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.
	Aedes albopictus
	Aedes aegypti
	Aedes japonicus		Germany