Surfactants alter mosquito’s flight and physical condition

Mosquitoes carry lethal pathogens for humans and hundreds of thousands of people are killed by mosquito-borne diseases every year. Therefore, controlling mosquitoes is essential to protect the lives of people around the world. Insecticides are highly effective in controlling mosquitoes and have been used extensively worldwide. However, they have potentially harmful effects on biodiversity and environment, and some mosquitoes are resistant to insecticide ingredients and survive upon their application. Therefore, there is a demand for a method to control mosquitoes without using conventional insecticide ingredients. Here, we used Aedes albopictus to test whether solutions with low surface tension, particularly surfactant solutions can alter mosquito behavior by spreading over the hydrophobic cuticle of mosquitoes. We found that solutions with low surface tension indeed attached to mosquitoes flying or resting on the wall, and made them fall. In addition, solutions with yet lower surface tension covered the mosquito surface more quickly and widely, knocking down or killing mosquitoes. These results suggest that surfactants such as sodium dioctyl sulfosuccinate can be used to alter mosquito behavior without relying on conventional insecticides.