Constructing an Attractive Targeted Sugar Bait for Reducing Mosquito Populations

Mosquito-borne pathogen transmission continues to pose a significant burden to global public health, well-being, and economic productivity. In the absence of universally available vaccines and amidst rising insecticide resistance that leads to product failures, there is an urgent need to develop new tools to mitigate mosquito-borne disease risk. Two general strategies exist to reduce transmission risk: personal protective measures and area-wide chemical interventions. Attractive Targeted Sugar Bait (ATSB) systems leverage the sugar-feeding behavior of mosquitoes—critical for sustaining their flight, metabolism, development, and fecundity—by delivering oral toxicants through attractively formulated sugar baits. This study aimed to develop an optimized ATSB formulation by identifying a key sugar source and volatile phytochemical blends that enhance mosquito attraction, resting, and feeding behaviors. We systematically examined the olfactory, gustatory, and locomotor responses of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes under choice and no-choice conditions.Advisor: Troy Anderson