Effective control of adult culex pipiens by spraying an attractive toxic sugar bait solution in the vegetation near larval habitats

This study evaluated the use of an insecticide-treated fruit juice bait against adult Culex pipiens s.l. L. from sewage ponds in Israel. The attractive toxic sugar bait (ATSB) solution (fruit juice, sugar, food dye, oral insecticide spinosad, and BaitStab, a mixture of slow-release substances and preservatives) was sprayed onto 10-15% of the surrounding vegetation of these ponds. The same bait solution, without insecticide, was sprayed onto vegetation at a similar site as a control. Mosquito abundance was monitored in treatment and control sites with six CDC light traps. Mosquitoes in the experimental sites decreased from ≈125 to approximately eight per trap. Mosquito abundance in the control sites was fairly stable and averaged ≈60 per trap during the study. Before starting the study parity of mosquitoes from the experimental and control sites averaged ≈20% muciparous females. After bait/insecticide application, only ≈3% of the females were multiparous in the treatment area.