Isolation and efficacy of entomopathogenic fungus(Metarhizium anisopliae)for the control of Aedes albopictus Skuse larvae:suspected dengue vector in Pakistan

Objective:To isolate the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhixium anisopliae（M.anisopliae） in the local environment,and evaluate its efficacy against the suspected dengue vector Aedes albopictus in Pakistan.Methods:According to the standard procedure,M.anisopliae was isolated from the dead mosquitoes which were collected from the field or dead after the collection.Bioassay was performed to determine its efficacy.Results:The results indicated that M.anisopliae had larvicidal effect with LC,value 1.09×105 and LC50 value 1.90×1013 while it took 45.41 h to kill 50% of tested population.Conclusions:Taking long time to kill 50%population when compare with the synthetic insecticides,is the only drawback for the use of entomopathogenic fungus but these bio-pesticides are safe for the use.