Eco-Friendly Management of Mosquitoes

Management of mosquitoes has always relied on the use of chemical insecticides, which either kill or prevent the adults from biting or eradicate the larvae at breeding sites. DEET (N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide), picaridin, permethrin, allethrin, malathion, and temephos are some of the synthetic insecticides used frequently for the mosquito control. However, frequent application of these chemicals has resulted in insecticide resistance among the mosquito species, adverse effects on environmental quality, biological magnification of toxic substances through the food chain, and lethal effects on nontarget organisms including human health. Though chemical insecticides generally use compounds at low concentrations, studies have shown that extensive and recurrent use of these compounds cause residual effects affecting the nontarget organisms, humans, and the environment. Due to their potential virulent effects, high operational cost, and environmental pollution, there is an urgent need of developing and implementation of alternate eco-safe biorational approaches to control mosquitoes, which can manage resistance and prevent resurgence of mosquito-borne diseases. Thus, the current scenario encourages the use of alternative mosquito control approaches, which are effective and economical, and have negligible impact on the environment. It is believed that mosquito control can be achieved faster using these vector control measures, which can complement chemical-based interventions. This chapter aims to highlight ecofriendly mosquito control measures, which have been broadly categorized into three types: (1) phytochemicals, (2) biological control agents, and (3) genetic approaches. These methods will give a better understanding of developing an integrated approach for effective ecofriendly mosquito control that will reduce the dependency on insecticide-based control measures.