Effects of several potential spatial repellents on the host-seeking behavior of Aedes albopictus (Skuse) (Diptera:Culicidae)

Host-seeking behaviors of Aedes albopictus after treatments with spatial repellents at a certain concentration for given time were studied. The results indicated that mosquitoes after treatments with citral,eugenol,linalool,geraniol,anisaldehyde at concentrations of 0.013-0.500 μg/cm3 for 24-96 h,respectively,all showed different degrees of reduction in host seeking ability,of which geraniol and anisaldehyde were more effective. But citronellal was ineffective in reducing the host seeking ability of Aedes albopictus in all the test levels. Mosquitoes which had lost the host seeking ability after above treatments with geraniol,citral,eugenol,linalool and anisaldehyde were able to recover to the normal ability when fed the normal 6% syrup diet for some time,but the mosquitoes after a treatment with 0.250 μg/cm3 of anisaldehyde for 96 h showed a long continually inhibitory response for host seeking ability. These initial laboratory results clearly showed that anisealdehyde and geraniol could be promising spatial repellents against Ae. albopictus and may play a major role in the new repellent technology.