Ground ultra low volume (ULV) space spray applications for the control of wild sand fly populations (Psychodidae: Phlebotominae) in Europe.

The Phlebotomus sand flies are considered an important vector of both canine and human leishmaniasis. Current measures for sand fly control include mostly indoor interventions, such as residual spraying of dwellings (IRS) to target endophilic sand fly species with very limited number of vector control tools for outdoor interventions against exophilic sand flies. In this study we investigated the efficacy of ground ultra low volume (ULV) space spray applications of a deltamethrin based product against field populations of P. perfiliewi, a major nuisance and pathogen-transmitting sand fly species of the Mediterranean Basin. Sand fly flight activity patterns and flight height preference within candidate treatment sites (kennels) were determined prior to treatments in order to optimize the timing and application parameters of the spray applications. On average there was a distinct activity peak between 20.00-22.00 h for both male and female P. perfiliewi with more than 45% and 30% of the population sampled occurring between 20.00-21.00 h and 21.00-22.00 h, respectively. No significant difference was observed in sand fly numbers from sticky traps placed at 0.5 up to 1.5 m height. However, there was a significant decrease in sand fly numbers at 2 m indicating a preference of sand flies to fly below 2 m. The low and high application rate of deltamethrin resulted in mean sand fly population decrease of 18 and 66%, respectively between pre-and post-treatment trap nights. The percent mean population change in the untreated control area was a positive number (30%) indicating that there was an increase in numbers of sand flies trapped between pre- and post-treatment nights. The results of this study provide strong evidence that ground ULV space spray applications when applied properly can result in significant sand fly control levels, even in a heavily infested sand fly environment such as the kennel sites used in this study.