Experimental control of Phlebotomus papatasi by spraying attractive toxic sugar bait (ATSB) on vegetation

The effect of attractive toxic sugar bait (ATSB) solution including fruit juice, sucrose and oral insecticides on populations of Phlebotomus papatasi (Scopoli), was studied in the central Jordan Valley, in a typical area with sparse desert vegetation. Three similar plots of land, each 35 hectares, were chosen for experiments: two for applications of ATSB and one as a control. Sand fly populations in all plots were monitored weekly from May to December. Experimental area I was sprayed three times between June and October, in patches covering about 10% of the vegetation. Experimental area II was sprayed twice with toxic baits, in August and again in October. The control area was also sprayed every second month with solution containing food dye marker instead of insecticide. After early toxin treatment, the population in area I dropped from ~80 sand flies to ~3 sand flies per trap in one month. In area II, the population declined about a month after treatment from ~110 to ~5 sand flies per trap. The control population was bimodal with peaks in July (~135 flies per trap) and October (~130 flies per trap). The food dye of the control bait marked an average of 65% to 79% of the sampled flies.