Attractive toxic sugar baits
Attractive toxic sugar baits (ATSBs) are oral
Attractive toxic sugar baits are manufactured from readily available, inexpensive ingredients in
Mosquitoes require sugar as their main source of energy. By mimicking the scent of sugar-providing plants that are naturally attractive to mosquitoes, it is possible to attract the mosquitoes to insecticide-laden traps. The traps can be set next to areas with significant mosquito populations (e.g., reservoirs, roadside drainage ponds and culverts).[1] This use of traps attractive to mosquitoes prevents the need for indiscriminate insecticide spraying.[1][2]
Attractive toxic sugar bait sprayed on vegetation has been successful in controlling Anopheles mosquitoes in outdoor environments. Additionally, indoor ATSB shows promise as a supplement to mosquito nets for controlling mosquitoes.
Boric acid is only marginally more toxic to most lifeforms than normal
ATSBs can affect insects that are not the target. In one instance, bees collected sugar from attractive non-toxic sugar baits dyed with food coloring, and the honey they produced was a different color. To avoid killing bees, it has been suggested that the ATSBs could have nets to keep the bees out, while letting harmful insects to fall for the baits.[5]
References
- ^ PMID 20663142.
- ^ PMID 22297155.
- ^ PMID 24367638.
- ^ Office of Pesticide Programs (1993). "Red facts : boric acid" (TXT). U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances. Retrieved 2013-05-09.
- ^ "Funny Honey at the Zoo Reveals Bees' Foraging on Sugar Baits". Entomology Today. 2018-08-01. Retrieved 2020-06-17.