- 20
- Oct
- 2025
A boosted-SIT field trial against Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) in Greece
October 20, 2025Giatropoulos A, G Balatsos, V Karras, R Lancelot, J Bouyer, A Puggioli, R. Bellini, NT Papadopoulos, D. Papachristos, I Mouratidis, A Michaelakis
IX SOVE International Congress, 12-17 Ottobre 2025, Chania, Creta
The boosted Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) applied by releasing irradiated males coated with a larvicide (pyriproxyfen-PPF) has been proposed as an additional management method for the Aedes invasive mosquitoes. In 2023, we applied for the first time in Greece, a small-scale (15-ha area in Vravrona, Attica) boosted-SIT field trial against Ae. albopictus. A mean of 3,466 PPF-coated sterile males/ha/week were released at the beginning (12 May to 16 June) and at the peak (1 September to 6 October) of mosquito activity, including two Mark-Release-Recapture sessions on July. No overall effect on egg densities was noted in the treated site throughout the trial, while significant decrease in relative egg densities compared to a control site was limited to specific locations. The egg hatch rates (56-57%) at the treated site were lower than the control site (84-85%) during the release cycles and one month after the second release cycle. More than 80% reduction of adult population compared to the control site was recorded in the treated site during the second release cycle and one month later. The high suppression of the adult population during the second release cycle and the subsequent month aligns with the high sterile-to-wild male ratio (15.16) recorded and the mating competitiveness index of boosted-SIT males (0.46) estimated. The suppression of both adult and egg population was more evident the month after the conclusion of releases, indicating a residual activity of the boosted-SIT. Our preliminary findings highlight the potential using the boosted-SIT to suppress Ae. albopictus population densities.