Variable mortal effects in larvae of Culex pipiens (L.) (Diptera: Culicidae) exposed to three different high sound frequencies

Purpose: The aim of our study was to evaluate the mortality rate of Culex pipiens larvae which were subjected to ultrasonic values above and below sound frequencies. Materials and Methods: In our lasting eight-hour experiments, 240 mosquito larvae in piezo-transducer modified vessels producing sound frequency at three different levels (14.8 kHz, 20.0 kHz and 26.5 kHz) were used. ANOVA (one-way analysis of variance) was used in the statistical analysis of the results. Results: Of the 240 Culex pipiens larvae used in our experiments, 121 of them died in all of the applied sound frequencies. The second stage larvae were found to be the most sensitive to the frequencies used. In our study, 14.8 kHz ultrasonic sound frequency was found to cause the highest mortality. Conclusion: Sound frequencies under and above ultrasonic show a varying proportions mortal effect on mosquito larvae. Different mortality values show that acoustic resonance values are different among the mosquito instars. Furthermore, the high mortality rate in early stage larvae (L1 and L2) may be due to various morphological reasons