Preliminary Study Of The Effectiveness Of A Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) Deployment Against Aedes albopictus In A Residential Area Of Israel

Here we present the preliminary results of a SIT pilot project conducted in a residential area of Kohav Yair, a municipality placed in Central Israel, between July-November 2024. Different mosquito releasing strategies were conducted in private gardens of 8 residential urban sites: weekly releases of 1000 males (1TMW), weekly releases of 500 males (5HMW) and biweekly releases of 1000 males (1TMBW), meaning two weeks with a single release per week followed by non-release period of 2 weeks. The goal was to compare the efficacy of each releasing strategy according to the calculation of 2 key entomological parameters: Population Reduction (D) and Induced Sterility (S). On a weekly basis, adult mosquitoes were collected through BG-Mosquitaire traps to evaluate the reduction of specimens in the environment (D), while standard mosquito ovitraps were also used to catch eggs in order to evaluate the percentage of sterility achieved (S) after the periodical male releases. Results show a very significant effect of all 3 types of mosquito releases (1TMW/5HMW/1TMBW) in both entomological parameters compared with control areas (residential gardens where no mosquito releases were conducted).