Development of an Alternative Low-Cost Larval Diet for Mass Rearing of Aedes aegypti Mosquitoes

BACKGROUND: Aedes aegypti is a major vector of arboviruses that may be controlled on an area-wide basis, using novel approaches such as Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) and Incompatible Insect Technique (IIT). Larval diet is a critical factor to be considered in mass rearing of Aedes mosquitoes for SIT and IIT programs. Therefore, the current study is aimed at evaluating the effects of two novel diets developed from dry fish powder on the growth and development of immature stages and adult fitness-related characteristics of Ae. aegypti in Sri Lanka. METHOD: Three batches of the first instar Ae. aegypti larva, each containing 250 larvae, were exposed to three different larval diets as standard dry fish powder (D(1)), dry fish powder meal and brewer's yeast (D(2)), and International Atomic Energy Agency- (IAEA-) recommended diet (D(3)), separately. Morphometric and developmental parameters of the 4(th) instar larvae, pupae, and adult mosquitoes reared under different dietary treatments were measured. The entire experimental setup was replicated thrice. A General Linear Model (GLM) in the form of two-way ANOVA was used for the statistical analysis. RESULTS: Significant diet-based variations were observed in the head length, head width, thoracic length, thoracic width, abdominal length, abdominal width, and total length (F(2,87) > 4.811; P < 0.05) of Ae. aegypti larvae. The highest pupation success and the larval size were observed from the larvae fed the D(2) diet, while the lowest was reported from D(1). All adult morphometric parameters of adult male and female Ae. aegypti mosquitoes also denoted significant dietary variations, reporting the best-sized adults from the D(2) diet (F(2,87) > 3.54; P < 0.05). Further, significantly higher fecundity and male longevity were also shown by the adult Ae. aegypti (F(2,6) > 7.897; P < 0.01) mosquitoes reared under diet D(2). CONCLUSION: Based on all the growth and developmental parameters, the D(2) diet tends to perform similar to the IAEA-recommended diet in mass rearing of Ae. aegypti mosquitoes, while being more inexpensive. Therefore, larval diet D(2) could be suggested as the ideal diet for mass rearing of Ae. aegypti for IIT and SIT-based vector control in Sri Lanka.