Efficacy of mosquito traps baited with citric acid and baking soda for catching Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae)

The effectiveness of mosquito traps containing CO₂-producing agent as the attractant is depending on many factors, among others is the type of material used. This research was conducted to find out whether materials that have been proven effective in trapping mosquitoes of various species such as sugar + yeast and citric acid + baking soda are also effectively used to catch the vector of dengue hemorrhagic fever, Aedes aegypti.A total of 48 trapsmade from empty 1.6 liter plastic bottleswere prepared in this study. The yeast+ sugar (YES) and citric acid + baking soda (CABS) attractants were applied to be compared with control (well water). The traps containing three different liquid (16 traps each) were set in 16 selected houses in a settlement named Pinang Jaya. Traps were set for 14 days and were observed every two days. Parameters observed were the pH of the attractant liquid and the number of female Ae. aegyti mosquitoes caught. The results are revealed that the attractant made from citric acid reacted with baking soda was the most effective in attracting female mosquito of Ae.aegypti compared to  the attractant  composed of brown sugar fermented with cassava yeast. Citric acid reacted with baking soda did not immediately attract Ae.aegypti mosquitoes until the day-6 and the effectiveness the attractant continues to increase up to 5 times on the day-14.It is suggested that mosquito traps containing citric acid and baking soda attractants are feasible to be applied in controlling the population of dengue vector mosquitoes.