Biodegradable floating hydrogel baits as larvicide delivery systems against mosquitoes
Marco Piazzoni, Agata Negri, Elisa Brambilla, Laura Giussani, Simone Pitton, Silvia Caccia, Sara Epis, Claudio Bandi, Silvia Locarno, Cristina Lenardi
Abstract
)). Despite the similar chemical nature and structure, chitosan-based hydrogels exhibited a markedly superior baiting potential compared to those made of cellulose and also succeeded in efficiently killing mosquito larvae just after a few hours from administration. We are confident that the proposed smart delivery hydrogel made of chitosan can be an enabling tool to attract mosquito larvae towards biopesticides of different nature without delocalizing active ingredients away from the breeding site and to simultaneously increase their residual activity, thus holding the potential of minimizing environmental pollution related to pest control and vector-borne disease prevention.