ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The brown-banded cockroach, Supella longipalpa, is not as common as the German cockroach in Iran. This species seeks out areas that are very warm most of the time, and prefer warmer area than what German cockroaches prefer. There is relationship between development of instars and diet of cockroaches. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of different diets on biology, life cycle on nymphal stages of S. longipalpa in laboratory condition prior to investigate the insecticide resistance status of this species in residence area in Iran. METHODS: The cockroaches were reared in the insectary of School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, condition and the population divided in four equal groups. The effect of four different diets on life cycle of S. longipalpa was studied to determine the effect of them on the lifetime of each nymphal stage. RESULTS: The diets significantly affected on growth and development of immature life stages of S. longipalpa. Based on introduced diets to the cockroache populations, total immature life cycle was 54, 58, 60 and 66 d for diets 2,4,1, and 3 relatively. However, the overall lifetime of S. longipalpa in average was about 225 days. CONCLUSION: As far as urban pest control is concerned, the result of this study will facilitate any operational programs for control of S. longipalpa. Among the different tested diets, diets 2 and 4 with less duration would be recommended for rearing of S. longipalpa in laboratory condition.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Mosquitoes lay eggs in a wide range of habitats with different physicochemical parameters. Ecological data, including physicochemical factors of oviposition sites, play an important role in integrated vector management. Those data help the managers to make the best decision in controlling the aquatic stages of vectors especially using source reduction. METHODS: To study some physicochemical characteristics of larval habitat waters, an investigation was carried out in Qom Province, central Iran, during spring and summer 2008 and 2009. Water samples were collected during larval collection from ten localities. The chemical parameters of water samples were analyzed based on mg/l using standard methods. Water temperature (°C), turbidity (NTU), total dissolved solids (ppm), electrical conductivity (µS/cm), and acidity (pH) were measured using digital testers. Thermotolerant coliforms of water samples were analyzed based on MPN/100ml. Data were assessed by Kruskal-Wallis test and Spearman Correlation analysis. RESULTS: In total, 371 mosquito larvae were collected including 14 species representing four genera. Some physicochemical parameters of water in Emamzadeh Esmail, Qomrood, Qom City, and Rahjerd showed significant differences among localities (P< 0.05). The physicochemical and microbial parameters did not show any significant differences among different species (P> 0.05). There was no significant correlation between the abundance of larvae and the different physicochemical and microbial parameters (P> 0.05). CONCLUSION: The means of EC, TDS, and phosphate of localities and species were remarkably higher than those of the previous studies. Other parameters seem to be in the range of other investigations.
ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study was to rear large numbers of Anopheles stephensi (Lis.) by artificial feeding with human whole blood in an insectary. An artificial membrane, bloodfeeding technique was evaluated for An. stephensi using the insectarium's strain in Iran. Parafilm "M" and human whole blood were satisfactory as a feeding membrane and as a source of nourishment, respectively. Comparison of feeding rates and different ages were fluctuated in rearing of 3 generations of An. stephensi with human whole blood using membrane Parafilm "M." The maximum feeding rate achieved was 90.9%. Anopheles stephensi, a mosquito normally requiring a vertebrate blood meal to produce eggs, has been reared successfully for 3 generations on this substitute blood meal.
