Potential use of scrap expanded polystyrene beads for the control of Aedes triseriatus.

The potential use of expanded polystyrene (EPS) beads for control of Aedes triseriatus was tested in the laboratory and the field. Laboratory studies showed that beads present in amounts which persisted throughout a season significantly reduced the emergence of Ae. triseriatus adults by preventing normal eclosion from the pupae. In the field, tree holes containing EPS beads had significantly fewer larvae present than untreated controls. These field data suggest that EPS beads may mechanically prevent oviposition by mosquitoes.