THE EFFICACY OF Micronecta polhemusi Nieser 2000 (INSECTA: HETEROPTERA: MICRONECTIDAE) AS BIOLOGICAL CONTROL OF Aedes MOSQUITO IN URBAN AREAS

Stagnant clear water under tropical environment may become a balance ecosystem
and free from mosquito infestation. The existence of mosquito predators in the
ecosystems such as Micronectidae provides a natural control of mosquito. Micronectidae
is a Family classification of aquatic insect from the Order Heteroptera. They are
commonly found in pristine environment with clean water through out the world. The
objective of this research was to examine the niche of Micronecta polhemusi Nieser 2000
(MpN2000) and apply such condition for mosquito control in residential areas. The first
phase of the study was focused on the niche of MpN2000. It consisted of analytical
measurement of the abiotic and biotic components of the ecosystems. The abiotic
environment includes the sunlight intensity, water quality analysis (pH, DO, turbidity,
COD, TSS, conductivity, Nitrogen Ammonia, Total Phosphorous), the humidity level,
DO, BOD and temperature towards its survivability under stress conditions of low DO
and various temperature levels. The taxonomy classification of MpN2000 was determined.
The growth population study indicated that MpN2000 can reach a population of 30
MpN2000/L of water. An established population of MpN2000 was found to predate on
mosquito larvae at the average rate of 0.31 mosquito larvae/ MpN2000/day. The second
phase of the experiment involved the applications of this biological control in three
residential areas (Taman Maju, Bandar Universiti and Taman Tasek Putra). The
applications of 90 ME (with MpN2000) and 90 Controls (without MpN2000) in these
residential areas was examined based on the observations of the presence of MpN2000
versus infestation of mosquito for three months. The results were analyzed to obtain the
Infested Container index and Micronecta index of the area according to WHO procedure.
In the presence of MpN2000 in MEs, MpN2000 started a new population in controls. The
findings of this study suggest that mosquito in urban areas can be controlled by keeping a
healthy environment with clean water that promotes the coexistence of mosquito and its
predators.
Keywords Micronectidae, mosquito, model ecosystem, control, aquatic stage.