Résumé
Control of the Riverine (Palpalis) group of tsetse flies is normally achieved with stationary artificial devices such as traps or insecticide-treated targets. The efficiency of biconical traps (the standard control device), 1×1 m black targets and small 25×25 cm targets with flanking nets was compared using electrocuting sampling methods. The work was done on Glossina tachinoides and G. palpalis gambiensis (Burkina Faso), G. fuscipes quanzensis (Democratic Republic of Congo), G. f. martinii (Tanzania) and G. f. fuscipes (Kenya). The killing effectiveness (measured as the catch per m2 of cloth) for small targets plus flanking nets is 5.5–15X greater than for 1 m2 targets and 8.6–37.5X greater than for biconical traps. This has important implications for the costs of control of the Riverine group of tsetse vectors of sleeping sickness. Sleeping Sickness (Human African Trypanosomiasis) is a serious threat to health and development in sub-Saharan Africa. Currently there are no vaccines or prophylactic drugs available to prevent contraction of the disease. Consequently vector control is the only method of disease prevention. In many areas, especially those lacking high densities of cattle, the only control option for routine use against tsetse flies are insecticide-treated targets or biconical traps. However, these methods in their current form are often too expensive for routine use against the riverine tsetse species that are the major vectors of sleeping sickness. Our aim is to develop a more cost-effective device than those currently available. Working on four species of tsetse fly we have shown that a small 25×25 cm target with adjacent flanking net was up to 38x more cost-effective at killing tsetse flies than existing devices. These findings suggest that this new technology may make vector control in HAT foci an affordable option.