Field efficacy of commercial antimosquito products in Illinois

Abstract

We evaluated the efficacy of commercial antimosquito products in field trials in Illinois in June 1998 by comparing mosquito landing rates. Products tested were a sonic mosquito repeller, an insect killing grid using ultraviolet light and 1-octen-3-ol as lures, mosquito smoke coils containing a pyrethroid, citronella candles, the mosquito plant Pelargonium citrosum, and a N,N-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide (deet)-impregnated wrist band. The sonic mosquito repeller, insect killing grid, and mosquito smoke coils were evaluated in 16 trials over 5 days; the citronella candles and mosquito plants in II trials over 4 days; and the wrist bands in 4 trials on 1 day. In all 3 studies, we compared landing rates with the antimosquito products to both positive (topical application of a deet formulation) and negative (no treatment) controls. The deet topical repellent had a consistently lower landing rate than all the nontopically applied products tested. However, the mosquito coils and the deet-impregnated wrist bands did significantly reduce mosquito landing rates relative to untreated controls.