The tsetse (Diptera: Glossinidae) story: implications for mosquitoes

In Zimbabwe, tsetse flies (Glossina spp.) are controlled using insecticide-impregnated baits. About 60,000 targets, baited with a blend of acetone, 1-octen-3-ol, 4-methylphenol, and 3-n-propylphenol, are deployed in tsetse-infested areas. The development of this control technology has been based on an understanding of the responses of tsetse to their hosts, using research tools that quantify single specific responses. this understanding required the development of new research tools, such as electrocuting devices and video techniques to analyze behavioral responses and gas chromatography linked to an electroantennogram to analyze responses of tsetse to components of host odor. The development of bait technology also required close interdisciplinary collaboration among entomologists, chemists, and electrophysiologists. It is suggested that the same approach to analyzing the responses of mosquitoes to their hosts will produce improved baits for mosquitoes. The low reproductive rate of tsetse, their sensitivity to insecticides, and, so far, the absence of insecticidal or behavioral resistance to insecticide-impregnated targets, makes them particularly susceptible to baits. These factors are not all present with other pests, including mosquitoes. Nonetheless, baits offer the prospect of being an important component in an integrated approach to controlling pests of man and his livestock, both as a complementary control technique and as a powerful monitoring tool.