Aerial release of Aedes aegypti male mosquitoes using an unmanned aerial vehicle: a novel control strategy

• Published in: Salud pública de México Vol. 65; no. 4, jul-ago; pp. 387 - 393
• Main Authors: Valdez-Delgado, Kenia Mayela, Ríos-Delgado, Jana Celina, Nettel-Cruz, José Asunción, Angulo-Kladt, Roberto, Villarreal-Treviño, Cuauhtemoc
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Mexico 15-07-2023
• Subjects: Aedes; Animals; Female; Humans; Male; Mosquito Control - methods; Sexual Behavior; Temperature; Unmanned Aerial Devices; Wolbachia
• ISSN: 0036-3634; 1606-7916
• DOI: 10.21149/14466

To development of a methodology for the chilling, handling, transport, and release of male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, reared in insectary conditions to release in the field with unmanned vehicles to compete sexually with wild males in the field.
A population of Ae. aegypti from different areas in Tapachula, Chiapas, was used. Laboratory tests were conducted: Effect of temperature and cooling time on the knockdown, recovery of males, and copulatory success.
The chilling temperature of 3 ± 1ºC for 30 min, was used as a knockdown temperature before handling, packing, transportation, and aerial release. The males subjected to the entire process, including the semi-field aerial release test, showed normal sexual behavior activity, obtaining 100% of females inseminated.
These results present the feasibility of applying a new control methodology using unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) as support for the sterile insect release technique (SIT), use of Wolbachia or both, in male Ae. aegypti, for the design of strategies to control their populations.