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Certain kinds of plants attract West Nile-carrying mosquitoes, while others have the power to repel the blood-suckers, according to a new study from the University of Illinois.

Four plants that help reduce the risk of West Nile virus


Katie Jones
Digital Reporter

Thursday, July 2, 2015, 5:30 PM - Certain kinds of plants attract West Nile-carrying mosquitoes, while others have the power to repel the blood-suckers, according to a new study from the University of Illinois.

The study looked at leaf litter found in standing water from different types of plants. Certain plants attracted an abundance of Culex pipiens mosquitoes, the strain that transmit the West Nile disease to people, pets, birds and wildlife.

Other plants, while also appealing to the insects, actually have detrimental effects on the bug's eggs and larvae, making them an ideal addition to a backyard or garden as a means of protecting against the West Nile disease.


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The research, published in journal Parasites and Vectors, identifies two plants have that an especially strong appeal for the pesky fliers -- amur honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii) and autumn olive (Elaeagnus umbellata).

Amur honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii) and Autumn olive (Elaeagnus umbellata)


When added to standing water, fallen leaves from these non-native, invasive plants drew significantly higher numbers of adult mosquitoes than other leaf species.

“The invasive honeysuckle was definitely the highest quality habitat in terms of the adult mosquito emergence rates, even when you had very high densities of the larvae,” said graduate student and research lead Allison Gardner.

Both of these plants are known to spread once planted, so getting rid of them before they can create a large, virtual mosquito love nest would be ideal.

Plants like honeysuckle are having very significant ecological impacts, displacing a lot of native plant species.

However, there are plants that can help reduce the risk of West Nile in your garden.

These four plants create less hospitable environments for the disease-carrying pests, each for different reasons:

Multiflora rose

A third invasive plant, multiflora rose (Rosa multiflora) was associated with low numbers of eggs laid and low survival of the larvae, the researchers found.


Blackberry

One of the plants studied, a native blackberry (Rubus allegheniensis), seemed to encourage Culex pipiens mosquitoes to deposit a lot of eggs on the water’s surface – but very few of the resulting larvae survived to adulthood. The plant creates an ecological trap -- attracting the insects and enticing them to lay eggs in an environment where they are very unlikely to survive. Future studies will explore whether blackberry leaves can be used to undermine the viability of disease-carrying mosquitoes.


Elderberry

Similar to blackberry, elderberry attracted mosquitoes looking for a place to lay their eggs, and the larval survival rates were low, but not as low as for blackberry.


Serviceberry

The mosquitoes deposited the lowest number of eggs in water infused with serviceberry leaves, but the survival of the larvae was fairly high at 62 per cent.

The majority of people infected with West Nile virus have no symptoms and do not feel sick.

The virus is transmitted through a bite from an infected mosquito.

The risk of being infected can fluctuate from year to year. Overall, the risk is greatest during the warm summer months. In Canada, 'mosquito season' can start as early as mid-April and last until the first hard frost in late September or October. The majority of human infections occur between July and early September.

Human cases of West Nile virus infection have been reported in parts of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec.

The best way to protect from infected mosquito bites is to use insect repellent, wear light-coloured, long-sleeved clothing and empty any standing water around your home and yard.

There is currently no vaccine for West Nile virus.

Source: University of IllinoisPublic Health Agency of Canada

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