The sweet, sugary nectar of plants is a food source for mosquitoes, especially in malaria-prone places. Scientists believe that cutting down these plants around human communities can reduce the number of cases of mosquito-borne diseases.
The Study
Researchers presented a method that can help decrease the spread of mosquito-borne diseases. The technique involves blocking the access to the plants mosquitoes turn to for sugary nectar. Studies show that mosquitoes need high levels of energy. Seeking nectar from flowering plants is an important part of their reproduction and survival. It is also a sustainable way to keep spreading diseases. Removing these plants is promising. It can help slow down or even prevent disease transmission since insecticides and mosquito nets are not as effective anymore.
The Metabolites
Scientists discovered that feeding on sugary nectar leaves distinct metabolites in mosquitoes. These metabolites stay for at least eight hours. These metabolites tell scientists which flowering plants the mosquitoes eat from before they search for their blood meal. Instead of extracting the DNA from the plant material in each mosquito’s stomach, scientists concentrated on studying nectar metabolites. These substances provide the data to identify the different sources of sugary nectar.
The Flowering Plant Species
Three flowering plant species were considered candidate plant food sources—castor oil, yellow oleander, and yellow sage. These plants are common in the tropics. Removing these preferred food sources can affect the energy stores of mosquitoes in the area. It could weaken them and impair their ability to reproduce or transmit diseases.
Plant-Host Identification
Reducing mosquito populations in areas prone to mosquito-borne diseases can happen while figuring out ways to cure them. Sugary nectar from flowering plants is a valuable food item when mosquitoes are not feeding on blood.
Researchers from the Royal Botanical Gardens in Kew, London, proposed a novel plant-host identification technique. The aim is to reduce the occurrence of infectious diseases like malaria by spotting preferred plants and blocking mosquitoes’ access to them.
Studies reveal that removing these food sources can decrease the population of infected mosquitoes by about 69.4%. If the populations are in deserts, placing sugar bait can be useful in achieving this result. Knowing the location and distribution of the specific plants can help remove them specifically.
The researchers learned that the mentioned plants above have food metabolites present in the mosquitoes that feed on them. Detecting these secondary metabolites can determine the flowers whose sugary nectar is preferred by mosquitoes. This technique was not easy to perform before but easier now with more advanced technologies. As these scientists refine plant-host identification, malaria and other mosquito-borne diseases continue to affect many parts of the world. This new method can help these communities to become safer from debilitating illnesses. One of these deadly diseases is malaria, which kills about 600,000 individuals each year (WHO).
Understanding the role of sugary nectar in transmitting mosquito-borne diseases can motivate you to remove specific flowering plants from your garden. Doing so can deprive the mosquitoes in your area of valuable energy reserves. This effect can then reduce their ability to reproduce and spread mosquito-borne diseases.