Effect of Adult Male Diet on Mating Propensity and Competitiveness of the Asian Tiger Mosquito (Aedes albopictus).

The Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus, is a major vector of arboviruses such as dengue, Zika and chikungunya, posing significant public health risks worldwide. Understanding male mating performance is crucial for optimizing control methods such as the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT). The aim of the current study was to investigate the influence of adult male diet on male Ae. albopictus mating success and competitiveness. Three adult diets were tested: 10% sugar solution, 10% molasses solution and 8% sugar solution enriched with 2% hydrolyzed yeast. Results revealed that males fed a molasses-based diet exhibited shorter latency time to mating and higher competitiveness against conspecifics. Male diet had no significant post-mating effects on females, neither due to fecundity nor to egg hatch rates. These findings underline the relevance of nutritional optimization in laboratory rearing. Although molasses-based diets appear promising for improving male quality, any implications for sterile-male release programs should be considered cautiously, as the present results derive solely from laboratory conditions.