Disease or infection spread by an insect or some other organism which poses varying levels of threat to public health, from a minor nuisance to life-threatening epidemics. The vector may be a rodent, an insect or any other organism – but insects are by far the most significant vectors, impacting the well-being not only of humans but also of wild animals and domestic livestock. The largest threat to public health is caused by insects. For example, about 3.3 billion people – half of the world’s population – are at risk of malaria, which isspread by mosquitoes. Mosquito larvae are usually targeted using organophosphates, insect growth regulators, and microbial agents. Indoor residual spraying and insecticide-treated bed nets are also employed.

However, these chemicals have negative effects on human health and the environment and induce resistance in a number of vectors. Eco-friendly tools have been recently implemented to enhance control of mosquito vectors. Renewed interest has been devoted to the potential of sterile insect technique (SIT) for suppression of mosquito vectors. SIT has been recently combined with auto-dissemination (i.e., adult females contaminated with dissemination stations of juvenile hormone to treat breeding habitats), a technique proved very efficient to control Aedes species but that cannot be used at large scales.

This has led to formulate a new control concept, named boosted SIT that might enable the area-wide eradication of mosquitoes and other vectors of medical and veterinary importance. Biological control of mosquito larval populations using aquatic predators, such as insects, copepods, and tadpoles also received attention. Furthermore, huge efforts have been carried out to investigate the efficacy of botanical products against mosquito vectors. Many plant extracts, essential oils, and pure compounds have been reported as effective against Culicidae, acting as adulticidal, larvicidal, ovicidal, oviposition deterrent, growth and/or reproduction inhibitors, and/or adult repellents.  Also, plant-borne molecules are often effective at few parts per million against mosquitoes, can be used for the rapid synthesis of mosquitocidal nanoformulations and even employed to prepare cheap repellents with low human toxicity. Recently, in more than one hundred researches, one-pot plantfabricated nanoparticles have been studied for their highly effective mosquitocidal properties. The aim of the centre for research in vector control provides better research products for effective control of disease causing vectors.