P1 - Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) for Individual Property Owners: A Review of the MosquitoMate Experience

Abstract: Traditionally, methods such as the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) are applied by government agencies across large areas. A recent report however, demonstrated that the localized, single point release of incompatible males onto an individual property could reduce the Aedes albopictus (Asian Tiger Mosquito) mosquito population. Subsequently, the EPA approved Wolbachia pipientis as a pesticide (i.e., ‘ZAP Males’) to induce cytoplasmic incompatibility and reduce Ae. albopictus egg hatch. A four-year pilot study was performed at multiple urban and suburban residences and businesses in Kentucky, to examine the application of incompatible ZAP males at individual, non-contiguous, privately-owned properties. The goal of the study was to examine unknowns including: 1) individual willingness to pay for ZAP male mosquitoes to be repeatedly released into their properties throughout the summer, 2) whether property owners found the presence of the male mosquitoes to be an annoyance, and 3) the perceived efficacy relative to traditional chemical approaches.