Development and application of 'lure and kill' strategies for the dengue vector Aedes aegypti in Australia

Abstract

Successful "lure and kill" strategies involve the attraction of insects to a lethal target, which for instance may consist of an insecticide-treated substrate, glue-covered panels, or mechanical killing devices. Typically, the attraction is highly specific for a particular family or even species of insect. Such specific attraction to a lethal target is useful in integrated pest-management (IPM) programs, where the avoidance of non-target organisms is required. Furthermore, the quantity of insecticide used in "lure and kill" is minute compared with barrier or broad-acre application. "Lure and kill" trapping can be used to target specific insects for surveillance and even control, and may potentially reduce insecticide-exposure of workers and other non-target organisms. "Lure and kill" strategies have been successfully implemented to control dipterans such as tsetse flies (Brightwell et al. 1991), lepidopterans (Cork et al. 2003), hemipterans (Branco et al. 2004) and coleopterans (James et al. 2001).