Reduction of mosquito biting-pressure: Spatial repellents or mosquito traps? A field comparison of seven commercially available products in Israel

•The tabletop diffusers, Patio Lantern, PowerPad lamp, and ALLCLEAR Terminix, significantly reduced mosquito biting-pressure•A Citronella bucket candle was performing poorly.•Some mosquito traps either significantly increased or had no effect on biting-pressure•At large distances only the Blue Rhino SV3100 significantly reduced biting-pressure

The present study assessed the personal protection efficiency of seven commercially available mosquito control devices (MCD) under field conditions in Israel. Trials were performed in a high biting-pressure area inhabited by large populations of mosquito and biting midge species, using human volunteers as bait in landing catch experiments. Results show that under minimal air-movement, three spatial repellent based products (ThermaCELL® Patio Lantern, OFF!® PowerPad lamp, and Terminix® ALLCLEAR Tabletop Mosquito Repeller) significantly reduced the biting-pressure (t-test – P < 0.01) when positioned at short distances from a volunteer (3, 7.5, and 10 ft.), with the ThermaCELL unit being most effective (96.1, 89.9, and 76.66% reduction, respectively). No significant differences were seen between the three aforementioned devices at distances of 3 and 7.5 ft., while at a distance of 10 ft., only the ThermaCELL patio lantern repelled significantly more mosquitoes then the Terminix ALLCLEAR Tabletop Mosquito Repeller (t-test, P < 0.05). In contrast, mosquito traps using attracting cues to bait mosquitoes (Dynatrap®, Vortex® Electronic Insect Trap, Blue Rhino® SV3100) either significantly increased or had no effect on the biting-pressure at short distances compared with the unprotected control. Trials conducted over large areas showed that only the Blue Rhino trap was able to significantly reduce the biting-pressure (40.1% reduction), but this was only when operating four units at the corners of an intermediate sized area.

Graphical abstractWe evaluated the degree of personal protection provided by several commercially available mosquito control devices. Repellent-based devices utilizing plant derived compounds or pesticides caused significant reductions in mosquito activity while volunteers near mosquito traps experienced little relief or even increased biting pressure.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide