The synthetic pyrethroid, prallethrin, is an active ingredient in a widely marketed ultralow volume (ULV) mosquito adulticide. Volatilized prallethrin is intended to stimulate mosquito flight, increasing overall effectiveness of the adulticide. However, field tests using volatilized prallethrin did not produce significant differences in various vector trap catches, suggesting prallethrin’s behavioral effects are not viable. Laboratory tests were conducted to evaluate prallethrin’s effect on flight behavior of adult female Asian tiger mosquitoes (Aedes albopictus). Mosquitoes were divided into three groups; a control, those exposed to volatilized prallethrin, and those exposed to a simulated ULV application at label rates. After 15 min, mosquito behavior in a wind tunnel was recorded and analyzed using motion-tracking software. No significant differences in flight behavior were found between controls and treated mosquitoes exposed to volatilized prallethrin, confirming the field results. ULV-sprayed mosquitoes exhibited a significant increase in a number of flight metrics compared to controls. These locomotor stimulation responses would definitively increase exposure to a ULV spray cloud. However, these results show that volatilization alone is insufficient to increase ULV efficacy in the field. These results suggest that incorporating a more volatile flight stimulant into ULV adulticides would provide a measurable improvement in mosquito control
