Dynamics of Wild and Sterile Mosquito Population Models with Delayed Releasing

Abstract

To reduce the global burden of mosquito-borne diseases, e.g. dengue, malaria, the need to develop new control methods is to be highlighted. The sterile insect technique (SIT) and various genetic modification strategies, have a potential to contribute to a reversal of the current alarming disease trends. In our previous work, the ordinary differential equation (ODE) models with different releasing sterile mosquito strategies are investigated. However, in reality, implementing SIT and the releasing processes of sterile mosquitos are very complex. In particular, the delay phenomena always occur. To achieve suppression of wild mosquito populations, in this paper, we reassess the effect of the delayed releasing of sterile mosquitos on the suppression of interactive mosquito populations. We extend the previous ODE models to the delayed releasing models in two different ways of releasing sterile mosquitos, where both constant and exponentially distributed delays are considered, respectively. By applying the theory and methods of delay differential equations, the effect of time delays on the stability of equilibria in the system is rigorously analyzed. Some sustained oscillation phenomena via Hopf bifurcations in the system are observed. Numerical examples demonstrate rich dynamical features of the proposed models. Based on the obtained results, we also suggest some new releasing strategies for sterile mosquito populations.