THE TSETSE (DIPTERA, GLOSSINIDAE) STORY - IMPLICATIONS FOR MOSQUITOS

In Zimbabwe, tsetse flies (Glossina spp.) are controlled using insecti cide-impregnated baits. About 60,000 targets, baited with a blend of a cetone, 1-octen-3-ol, 4-methylphenol, and 3-n-propylphenol, are deploy ed in tsetse-infested areas. The development of this control technolog y has been based on an understanding of the responses of tsetse to the ir hosts, using research tools that quantify single specific responses . This understanding required the development of new research tools, s uch as electrocuting devices and video techniques to analyze behaviora l responses and gas chromatography linked to an electroantennogram to analyze responses of tsetse to components of host odor. The developmen t of bait technology also required close interdisciplinary collaborati on among entomologists, chemists, and electrophysiologists. It is sugg ested that the same approach to analyzing the responses of mosquitoes to their hosts will produce improved baits for mosquitoes. The low rep roductive rate of tsetse, their sensitivity to insecticides, and, so f ar, the absence of insecticidal or behavioral resistance to insecticid e-impregnated targets, makes them particularly susceptible to baits. T hese factors are not all present with other pests, including mosquitoe s. Nonetheless, baits offer the prospect of being an important compone nt in an integrated approach to controlling pests of man and his lives tock, both as a complementary control technique and as a powerful moni toring tool.