Chemosterilants With the Mosquitoes Culex Pipiens Fatigans(wiedemann and Anopheles Gamlae (Giles)

Abstract

The possibility of control or eradication of an insect species by the release of overwhelming number of sterile males has been proven by experiment. On social ground it is considered that chemosterilants (chemicals capable of causing sterility) could not be used for application to mosquito breeding areas or in houses against the adults. Traps are not yet sufficiently effective to attract enough adults for treatment. Therefore this investigation into the use of chemosterilants with mosquitoes was made to and find a suitable method for sterilizing males before release. Two species of mosquitoes were used, culex pipens fatigans( wied.) and A.gambiae ( giles). Five chemosterilants were tried, three of them alkylating agents , apholate, tepa and metapa, and two miscellaneous agents, hempaand hemel. Treatment was tried at all stages of the life cycle. When the eggs were layed on the suface of the solution of metapa, it was toxic for both sjpecies at the higher dosages and ineffective at the lower dosages. All chemosterilanta were tried for treating c.p. fatigans larvae. None resulted in complete sterility and all except metapa were toxic with the higher dosages….