| dc.description.abstract | This research consisted of the evaluation of the "skip oviposition" behavior of Aedes aegypti, the evaluation of the BG-Sentinel (BGS) and the Gravid Aedes Trap (GAT) suppressing females and influencing egg distribution under semi-field conditions, with improvements of the GAT. We compared biological parameters and the oviposition behavior of Ae. aegypti from an old colony (F125) and from a newly established colony (F1). It was observed that the sex ratio, the number of laid eggs, the number of colonized breeding sites, and the size of the males, were equal between insects coming from F1 and F125 colonies. Meanwhile, the hatchability of the eggs, the duration of larval development, and the size of the females were smaller in individuals coming from the old colony. We assessed whether the diet of the females and the size of the breeding sites could influence the "skip oviposition" females individually evaluated under semi-field conditions. We observed that both behaviors did not depend on the diet that females had been submitted. We also noted that gravid Ae. aegypti females spread their eggs between all the available containers, regardless of its size (GLM, p <0.05). However, they avoided the depositing of large amounts of eggs in small containers. We also compared the recapture of Ae. aegypti females at the BGS and at the GAT in simulations of peridomiciles containing various densities (0, 4, 8 and 16) of different breeding sites. At the environments with 4, 8 and 16 breeding sites we observed a tendency of higher colonizations of bigger breeding sites in relation to the small ones (GLM, p <0.05). There was no reduction in the number of laid eggs due to the GAT (GLM, p <0.05), although the BGS reduced significantly the number of eggs in environments with 8 and 16 breeding sites (GLM, p <0.05). The BGS recaptured between 60 and 80% of the females released, while the GAT recaptured between 50 and 60% of the individuals evaluated. The number of available breeding sites did not influence the recaptures in both traps. We evaluated alternative killing agents within the GAT. Among the items evaluated, insecticide-impregnated bed nets (Bestnet Netprotect®) were as efficient as the Mortein® surface spray. With high durability (up to 2 years) and practicality, these bed nets presented a high potential to be used in large scale within the GAT. | |
