Updated Methods for the Production of Toxorhynchites rutilus septentrionalis (Diptera, Culicidae) for Use as Biocontrol Agent Against Container Breeding Pest Mosquitoes in Harris County, Texas

The complex biologies of pestiferous mosquito species complicate the development of a single, across the board effective control measure. The use of traditional biological control through predators, parasitoids, and microbes, though part of a multimodal, integrated pest management approach, is scant in current standard mosquito control operations. At this time, traditional, whole organism mosquito biocontrol agents are not commercially available, and if their integration into a release program is desired, they must be developed in-house. The aim of our program was to incorporate releasing natural enemies to disrupt and suppress the target pest mosquito’s population by matching the agent with the target’s biology, before or concurrent to pesticide use. A current focus is suppressing peridomestic, container breeders of high medical significance, such as Aedes aegypti (Linnaeus), (Diptera, Culicidae) and Aedes albopictus (Skuse) (Diptera, Culicidae), through larval reduction with augmentative releases of laboratory-reared, native mosquito assassins Toxorhynchites rutilus septentrionalis (Dyar & Knab). When raised in communal settings, Tx. rutilus’ aggressive feeding behavior and cannibalistic tendencies require an extreme loss tolerance in adult production rates. In addition, offering prey mosquitoes exclusively as Tx. rutilus’ juvenile food extends larval development by multiple days. While this may be desirous in the wild, it proves inefficient during production. Here, we provide an individual rearing method as well as an alternative diet protocol, which maximizes the adult yield while achieving quick development.