Dr. Christopher Binckley, chair and associate professor for the Department of Biology, and co-authors Alyssa Gushka ’23, ’25DPT, and Kalena Le ’22 have published a study in The Journal of Basic and Applied Zoology. Titled, “Duckweeds Produce Strong Oviposition Avoidance and High Larval Mortality in Invasive Aedes Mosquitoes,” the study suggests that common duckweed species prevent invasive Aedes mosquitoes from laying eggs and significantly increase larval mortality.

In testing the effects of two species of duckweed, Spirodela polyrhiza, and Wolffia arrhizal, on two types of invasive mosquitos, Aedes albopictus and Aedes japonicus, they found that the mosquitoes avoided laying eggs in water with duckweed, and A. japonicus larvae had a 0% survival rate in the presence of the plants.

“This research was inspired by similar studies showing duckweeds kill Culex mosquito larvae in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa,” Dr. Binckley said. “So we asked how these plants would affect Aedes mosquito egg laying and larval survivorship. Aedes mosquitoes are considered one of the most invasive species globally, and they are the most abundant summer and fall mosquito in our area.”

Despite these findings, the study also concludes that using duckweed may not be a viable method of biological control since female Aedes mosquitoes can detect and avoid them. 

“If you get bit by a mosquito during the summer, it’s going to be an Aedes female who needs blood to make her eggs,” he added. “They can transmit numerous viruses to humans and generally make life miserable given how aggressive they are.”

Gushka assisted with experiment setups, conducted daily checks, and collected eggs weekly, while also managing data collection by counting eggs and identifying larvae species after hatching.

“I hope readers take away the importance of protecting the environment and ourselves from invasive species, as they can carry many harmful pathogens,” she explained. “It’s important that we find non-chemical options to help limit these invasive species to prevent further negative consequences from occurring and spreading human pathogens.

“It means a ton to have this work get published,” she continued. “I worked in Dr. Binckely’s lab for three years, so having the work get published is an amazing reward and feeling of recognition for all the hard work we put in over those years.”