Comparative Analysis of Aedes spp. Mosquito Oviposition Preferences for Various Natural Attractants in Ovitraps

Abstract

Dengue fever remains a major public health problem in tropical countries, including Indonesia. Ovitraps are widely used as a simple and cost-effective tool for monitoring and controlling Aedes mosquito populations; however, their effectiveness depends on the type of attractant and trap material used. This study aims to evaluate various types of attractants for *Aedes* mosquito egg traps as part of surveillance efforts. The research method is a quasi-experimental study with a posttest-only control group design was conducted from August to October 2025 in Sokaraja Subdistrict, Banyumas Regency, Central Java, Indonesia. A total of 16 ovitraps consisting of different trap materials (glass, bamboo, coconut shell, and black plastic) and attractants (fermented palm sugar solution, fermented young coconut water, red chili infusion, and clean water as control) were deployed in 15 households. The attractants tested were fermented palm sugar solution (45%), fermented young coconut water (20%), and red chili infusion (15%), all prepared based on preliminary trials. Control treatments included egg traps filled with clean water and transparent glass egg traps to control for material-related effects. This study has received approval from the UNDIP ethics committee with NO. 280/EA/KEPK-FKM/2025. The results showed that egg counts were recorded from ovistrips after a five-day exposure period and analyzed using descriptive statistics and Mann–Whitney tests. Coconut shell ovitraps captured the highest mean number of eggs (67.58), followed by black plastic (26.07) and bamboo traps (20.83), while glass ovitraps showed the lowest mean (0.25). Among attractants, fermented young coconut water produced the highest mean egg count (70.05), followed by red chili infusion (24.38) and fermented palm sugar solution (14.35), whereas clean water showed the lowest value (5.95). Statistical analysis demonstrated significant differences among both ovitrap materials and attractant types (p < 0.05). These findings indicate that fermented young coconut water, combined with coconut shell traps, exerts a strong oviposition-attracting effect on Aedes spp. mosquitoes. This combination offers a potential, eco-friendly alternative method for optimizing community-based surveillance systems for dengue vectors.