Field experiments on the control of Aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus by Toxorhynchites rutilus rutilus (Diptera: Culicidae) [Biological mosquito control]

Production of adult A. aegypti and C. quinquefasciatus mosquitoes was monitored for 76 days in automobile tires, plastic buckets, and paint cans, to which 1 or 2 first-instar larvae of Toxorhynchites rutilus rutilus were added ca. every 10 days. The containers were located on residential blocks within a substandard urban area of New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. The regular addition to the containers of 1 or 2 predator larvae resulted in an average control of prey emergence of 65 and 82%, respectively. The data indicated that while substantial mortality among the predators occurred, due to cannibalism or other natural factors, the overall control obtained for both treatment levels was 74%. Cannibalism among predators appeared to play a minor role in determining the degree of control obtained.