Insecticide-treated bednets are currently being well utilized for the control of malaria mosquitoes. They function as baited traps and as an effective vehicle for delivery of insecticide to the vector population as demonstrated clearly by the protection it provides to those sleepers without nets as well as those within. A major drawback is whether insecticide resistance will obviate their effectiveness. Behavioral resistance to ITNs, in particular, is a poorly understood phenomenon and yet it could evolve in settings where ITNs are implemented.

This study elucidates the behavioral responses of Anopheles gambiae s.s. females to treated and untreated net materials with a view to determine vulnerabilities for selection of behavioral resistance. The question of whether ITNs function as lethal traps or as deterrence or repellence devices and its dependence on the nature of insecticidal active ingredient and behavioral responses of the female mosquitoes is addressed. Behavioral responses include records on duration and frequency of flight, number of contacts with cage walls, time and location of landings, elapsed time sitting and walking on cage surfaces and timing and duration of behaviors associated with toxicosis i.e. leg autotomy, tremors, postural changes and knockdown. This study contributes to maximizing sustainability of ITNs with the comparisons and contrasts of details of behavioral interactions of An. gambiae s.s. in untreated, half treated and fully treated settings; quantifying LT50 for cumulative exposure to ITNs; comparing the behavioral profiles for various insecticides such as Permethrin, Bifenthrin, Deltamethrin, with an eventual aim of evaluating and implementing these findings in a field setting in western Kenya.