Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis
![An 'Ovitrap, a tool for the collection of eggs from tiger mosquitoes: In this case, an ovitrap type used for the monitoring of the Asian tiger mosquito Aedes albopictus in the Swiss canton of Ticino. The presence of the mosquitoes is detected through the eggs they lay on the wooden paddle or from larvae that hatch from these eggs in the laboratory. The brown granules in the water are a Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis preparation that will kill mosquito larvae that hatch in the ovitrap. Ovitraps are also used to monitor the yellow fever mosquito Aedes aegypti.](/Images/godic/202412/22/Ovitrap-Ticino5404.jpg")
Bacillus thuringiensis serotype israelensis (Bti) is a group of bacteria used as biological control agents for larvae stages of certain dipterans. Bti produces toxins which are effective in killing various species of mosquitoes, fungus gnats, and blackflies, while having almost no effect on other organisms. Indeed, this is one of the major advantages of B. thuringiensis products in general is that they are thought to affect few nontarget species.