Liu-pao Tea as a Source of Botanical Oviposition Attractants for Aedes Mosquitoes

Oviposition attractants can enhance both the surveillance and control of container-breeding <i>Aedes</i> mosquitoes. Although green tea has been reported to attract <i>Ae. aegypti</i>, the specific bioactive botanical compounds responsible remain unidentified. We evaluated teas across fermentation stages (non-fermented, fully fermented, and post-fermented) at 5 g/L for gravid <i>Ae. albopictus</i> using dual-choice assays. The most attractive tea (Liu-pao) was further tested across concentrations (0.5-5 g/L) and infusion ages (1-28 days). Autoclaved vs. non-autoclaved infusions assessed microbial contributions, while headspace volatiles were analyzed via HS-SPME-GC-MS. Individual compounds (cedrol and linalool oxide) were bioassayed. Only Liu-pao tea consistently attracted <i>Ae. albopictus</i> (OAI ≥ 0.3), peaking at 5 g/L after 7-14 days (OAIs 0.73/0.67). A 0.5 g/L infusion aged 21-28 days also attracted <i>Ae. aegypti</i> (OAIs 0.89/0.63). Autoclaving did not reduce attraction, confirming volatile compounds, not live microbe-mediated effects. Cedrol (1 mg/L) elicited moderate attraction (OAI 0.29) in <i>Ae. albopictus</i>, while linalool oxide was inactive. Post-fermented Liu-pao tea acts as a potent botanical attractant for <i>Aedes</i> mosquitoes. Cedrol contributes partially, but whole tea infusions outperform single compounds. These findings support developing multi-volatile "attract-and-kill" strategies targeting gravid mosquitoes.