Feed-through insecticides for the control of the sand fly Phlebotomus argentipes.

Three rodent feed-through studies were conducted to evaluate the efficacy of insecticides to control Phlebotomus argentipes (Diptera: Psychodidae). The initial test evaluated diflubenzuron, eprinomectin, fipronil and ivermectin as feed-through treatments in Rattus rattus (Rodentia: Muridae). In the preliminary trial, all four insecticides yielded 100% mortality of P. argentipes larvae within 20 days of exposure to treated rodent faeces. Based upon the initial results, fipronil was evaluated further as a feed-through utilizing Bandicota bengalensis (Rodentia: Muridae). The B. bengalensis trial evaluated fipronil against both adult and larval sandflies at 250 p.p.m., 100 p.p.m. and 50 p.p.m. The results showed the fipronil treatment to have 100% efficacy against larvae up to 20 days post-treatment and over 74% efficacy against adult sandflies presented with B. bengalensis faeces up to 10 days post-treatment at all three dosage levels. The results of the three studies suggest that all four insecticides may be useful tools with which to control Leishmania vector populations.