Abstract: Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus are both invasive species and public health concerns due to their aggressive day-biting behavior and ability to vector medically important pathogens (e.g., Zika, dengue, chikungunya). Despite the heavy use of chemical pesticides to manage these species, they have colonized much of the U.S.A. and continue to expand their range. Multiple autocidal approaches have been proposed for the control of these species. Autocidal technologies are ‘self delivering,’ and there is no known insecticide resistance. These technologies use the ‘mosquito against itself,’ and include Wolbachia-based and auto-dissemination of insecticides. Similar to traditional Sterile Insect Technique, the Wolbachia approach is based upon repeated, inundative releases of incompatible male mosquitoes, with the goal of decreasing the number of viable eggs. The ADAM approach uses repeated, inundative releases of non-biting males as vehicles to deliver small doses of a potent insect juvenile hormone analogue (pyriproxyfen; ‘PPF’) into the small, cryptic containers in which Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus often breed. Males can deliver PPF to breeding sites either directly or indirectly, by cross contaminating females during copulation attempts. Presented here, are regulatory updates related to these technologies and results from recent open field trials used to examine for efficacy under field conditions.
