There are many products claiming to be an electronic solution towards repelling mosquitoes. Several reviews were published in debunking these claims. However, there is a lack of a systematic study on effects of electromagnetic (EM) or more specifically, radio frequency (RF) waves against mosquitoes due to the conclusions made in those years. Therefore, we attempt to establish a fundamental study on female Aedes Aegypti (Linnaeus) mosquitoes by quantifying the collective behavior of the mosquitoes against a continuous stream of low-powered RF signals via a broadband horn antenna using image processing methods. By examining the average lateral and vertical positions of the mosquitoes versus frequency and time, the data shows negligible consistency in the reactions of the mosquitoes toward the different frequencies ranging from 10 to 20,000.00 MHz, with a step of 10 MHz. This was done by examining 33 hours of spatiotemporal data, which was divided into three sessions. All three sessions showed totally different convolutions in the positions in arbitrary units based on the raster scan of the image processing output. Several frequencies apparently showed up to 0.2-70% shift in both lateral and vertical components along the spectrum, without repeatability for all three sessions. This study contributes to the following: A pilot study for establishing the collective effects of RF against mosquitoes, open-source use, and finally a low-cost and easily adaptable platform for the study of EM effects against any insects.
Photon (light) technology has already been widely used in make-up, medical treatment etc, but repelling mosquitoes by photon technology is an innovation. The objective of this study was to determine the efficacy of a mosquito repelling lamp, E Da under indoor conditions. E Da lamp is a lamp coated with yellow luminous pigment on the inner part of the glass bulb of the lamp which is used to screen out the UV radiation, and when it is turned on, the yellow illuminating wavelength will drive the mosquitoes away. The tests were conducted inside 2 cabins measuring 8' X 8' X 20'. The mosquito population was estimated by using the Bare Leg Catch (BLC) techniques. For treated test, E Da lamp was placed indoor 2 - 3 meters away from a human bait. Another cabin without the lamp was used as untreated control. BLC was conducted in both sites simultaneously. The mosquitoes collected in this study were solely those of Culex quinquefasciatus and Aedes albopictus. There was an 91.34% reduction of Cx. quinquefasciatus population in the treated test compared with the untreated cabin during the 4 hours catches (p < 0.05). E Da mosquito repelling lamp used in this study exerted repellency effect against the mosquitoes especially Cx. quinquefasciatus.
Urbanization has caused an increase in favorable habitats for Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae), given their ability to reproduce in small and often non-degradable artificial water-containers. While much work has been done on Ae. aegypti biology and ecology in urban landscapes, the role of shading on immature stages as an independent factor from temperature, and any possible interactions between these factors, remains unexamined. We assessed how temperature and shading affected egg hatch-rate, larval/pupal mortality, and larval development to adult stage under different factorial temperature (28; 31; 34; 37; 40° C) and shade (0%, 3,100 lux; 40%, 1,860 lux; 75%, 775 lux; 100%, 0 lux) regimes. Hatch-rate was significantly lower at 37° C (57 %), and no eggs hatched at 40° C. There was no significant effect caused by shading on hatchability. Larval and pupal mortality at 37° C was significantly higher (35%) compared to lower temperature groups, while the effects of shading were emergent at low temperatures. Developmental times from hatching to adult emergence were significantly reduced with increasing temperatures and with greater light exposures. The eco-physiological response of Ae. aegypti larvae to temperature and light regimes suggest a photosensitivity previously unstudied in this species.