Effect of diet on biting, oviposition, and survival of Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae)

The effect of adult diet on host biting, sugar probing and water probing patterns, oviposition behavior, and survival of Aedes aegypti (L.) from Charters Towers, Australia, were tested in the laboratory. The 7 diets were as follows: (1) starvation, (2) water, (3) 10% sugar, (4) blood, (5) blood with water supplement, (6) blood with 10% sugar supplement, and (7) blood with 3% sugar supplement. Biting, probing, oviposition, and survival observations were made every 6 h (0600-0800 hours, 1200 -1400 hours, 1800 -2000 hours, 2400 -0200 hours). Biting frequency on the blood with 3% sugar diet (0.26 feeds per mosquito per 6 h) and the blood with 10% sugar diet (0.23 feeds per mosquito per 6 h) was significantly less than on blood (0.51 feeds per mosquito per 6 h) and 10% sugar (0.40 feeds per mosquito per 6 h) alone. Biting frequency was not significantly different between blood with water (0.47 feeds per mosquito per 6 h) and blood alone (0.51 feeds per mosquito per 6 h). Biting and oviposition occurred throughout the day, peaking between 1800 and 2000 hours and between 2000 and 2400 hours, respectively. Biting frequency with a 3% sugar supplement decreased after the Ist oviposition cycle on day 6 compared with unsupplemented biting. The presence of sugar delayed or inhibited oviposition. Females with access to blood with water bit and oviposited concurrently on days 4-6, 8-9, and 11, indicating a 3-d gonotrophic cycle. Survival on blood alone was not significantly lower than survival on sugar and water supplemented diets. Behavior of the Charters Towers strain proved to be significantly influenced by diet, and biting occurred opportunistically without regard for previously observed crepuscular or diurnal rhythms. The biting frequencies observed were the highest yet recorded for this species, which indicates that the vectorial capacity of the Australian Ae. aegypti may be underestimated severely.