SEMIOCHEMICALS MEDIATING MOSQUITO OVIPOSITION SITELOCATION AND OVIPOSITION STIMULATION

Jocelyn G. Millar and Yong-Jun Du
Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside CA 92521 USA

Chemically-mediated attraction of gravid female mosquitoes to ovipositionsites, and oviposition stimulation have been studied with the help of coupledGC-electroantennogram detection. A number of EAD- and behaviorallyactive compounds have been identified. Mosquitoes respond more stronglyto blends than to individual compounds. Concentration is critically important;compounds which are attractive and/or stimulatory at ppb to ppt levelsin water become repellent at higher concentrations. Correct formulationof blends is also crucial, because the release rates of compounds fromaqueous solution is strongly dependent upon their hydrophobicity.