UA scientists explore new way to control mosquito populations

The start of spring means the monsoon and mosquito season are a few months away.

University of Arizona Entomology professor Michael Riehle is leading a research group aiming to find a new way to fight the mosquito population, by focusing on the chemicals inside the insect’s gut at the larval stage.

“And it’s a high PH environment which is pretty unique to organisms in the wild so we’re looking to leverage that environment of the mosquito’s gut to specifically target compounds which we hope can ultimately kill them,” said Riehle.

Mosquito-borne illnesses like zika, dengue and malaria threaten millions worldwide each year. The study by Riehle’s group was published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.