Insects as food: why the western attitude is important.

The traditional use of insects as food continues to be widespread in tropical and subtropical countries and to provide significant nutritional, economic and ecological benefits for rural communities. Westerners should become more aware of the fact that their bias against insects as food has an adverse impact, resulting in a gradual reduction in the use of insects without replacement of lost nutrition and other benefits.

La Crosse viremias in white-tailed deer and chipmunks exposed by injection or mosquito bite.

To further understand the role of wild mammals in the maintenance of La Crosse virus (LACV) in nature, we investigated the effects of inoculation method and virus source on the duration and amplitude of LACV viremia in vertebrate hosts. Earlier work suggested that deer are not sufficiently susceptible to LACV to play an important role in its maintenance. We re-evaluated the susceptibility of deer since subsequent studies showed that they constitute 65% of Aedes triseriatus blood meals, and thus would be exposed frequently to the virus.

Potential use of scrap expanded polystyrene beads for the control of Aedes triseriatus.

The potential use of expanded polystyrene (EPS) beads for control of Aedes triseriatus was tested in the laboratory and the field. Laboratory studies showed that beads present in amounts which persisted throughout a season significantly reduced the emergence of Ae. triseriatus adults by preventing normal eclosion from the pupae.

Residual toxicity of four insecticides to Aedes triseriatus in scrap tires.

Four insecticides were tested for residual activity to Aedes triseriatus in scrap tires. Abate (temephos) granules applied at 10 ppm (AI) resulted in 100% mortality of 4th instar larvae for more than one year. The other insecticides caused no mortality within 4 wk after application.

A field evaluation of two suggested Aedes triseriatus oviposition attractants.

Two reported oviposition attractants for Aedes triseriatus, fish oil emulsion and water of high optical density, were evaluated in ovitraps in the field. Solutions of fish oil emulsion at 1% repelled ovipositing mosquitoes, whereas water containing vegetable dye increased oviposition up to 4-fold over control traps. Laboratory bioassays with fish oil emulsion at both 1 and 5% confirmed the field results.