Preliminary studies on the effects of Taiwanese ritual smoke on Aedes aegypti (Linnaeus, 1762) (Diptera: Culicidae)

In Chinese folk religion and Taoism as practiced in Taiwan, Asiatic wormwood leaves, agarwood incense sticks, and joss paper (“ghost money”) are often burned or carried to pray for health or at festivals that overlap with peak mosquito seasons. The possibility exists that some of these rituals became popular due to repellent effects of the smoke reducing the impact of insect-vectored pathogens. The effects of these smokes on the Dengue-vectoring mosquito Aedes aegypti Linnaeus, 1762 (Diptera: Culicidae) was measured following the World Health Organization guidelines for spatial repellency testing. The chemical constituents of the smoke were identified using a solid-phase microextraction fiber for extraction followed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. Samples are identified by the NIST library search, and checked against published Kovats Index values for a final ID. Ret. Time = Retention time. Area % - Area percentage. KI= Kovats Index.