Survival of larvivorous fish used for biological control of Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) combined with different larvicides

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate combinations of larvicides and fish which are predators of larvae of Aedes aegypti, namely Betta splendens, Trichogaster trichopterus and Poecilia reticulata. Methods: We used 15 water tanks with a capacity of 250 litres of water. In 10 tanks, larvicide - Temephos, Bti and Novaluron - was added, the other five contained only one specimen of fish and unchlorinated water. The fish were monitored for a week without changing the water, and their survival recorded on a form. An estimate of the Kaplan-Meier survival was performed to determine the significance of the tests. Results: Betta splendens showed the lowest mortality range of larvicides tested. Conclusion: Combined use of larvivorous fish and larvicides in large water tanks is feasible.