Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association

Eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEV) causes the most clinically severe neuroinvasive arboviral disease in the United States. The virus is endemic in eastern and Gulf Coast states and the Great Lakes region, causing cases annually. To detect EEEV circulation in its enzootic cycle before the virus infects humans and other mammals, mosquito control agencies in New Jersey have conducted mosquito surveillance using a series of permanent wooden resting box sites since 1975. We conducted 2 field studies, 1 evaluating resting traps and 1 evaluating efficacy of CO2 lures, to optimize collection of Culiseta melanura, the primary enzootic vector of EEEV...

Haiti is home to approximately 11 million people and has a high incidence of vector-borne disease, including more than 70,000 cases of dengue per year. Vector control is difficult in Haiti and adulticide spray of malathion is the main method of control employed during the outbreak of disease although pyrethroids are used in both bed net campaigns and in widely available aerosol cans for personal use. However, limited pathogen or insecticide resistance surveillance data are available for making operational decisions...

Understanding the influence of salinity on the efficacy of mosquito larvicides in brackish water habitats is crucial for effective salt-marsh Aedes taeniorhynchus control. This study investigated the interactive effects of salinity on the toxicity of 3 commonly used mosquito larvicides: Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (VectoBac® 12AS), spinosad (Natular® SC), and S-methoprene (Altosid® 12AS) against Ae. taeniorhynchus larvae. Four salinity levels (0 ppt [parts per thousand], 8 ppt, 16 ppt, and 32 ppt) were tested in laboratory bioassays...

Strategies to advance action threshold development can benefit both civilian and military vector control operations. The Anastasia Mosquito Control District (AMCD) has curated an extensive record database of surveillance programs and operational control activities in St. Johns County, Florida, since 2004. A thorough exploratory data analysis was performed on historical mosquito surveillance and county-wide climate data to identify climate predictors that could be used in constructing proactive threshold models for initiating control of Aedes, Culex, and Anopheles vector mosquitoes...

Aedes albopictus is a vector of several pathogens of significant public health concern. In this situation, gravid traps have become a common surveillance tool for Aedes spp., which commonly use hay infusions as an attractant. Diverse grass infusions have been assessed to enhance the attraction to this vector mosquito. However, these studies have focused on the oviposition effect, and the attraction potential to gravid Ae. albopictus females has not been evaluated yet. Here we report the attractiveness of infusions of 4 different botanical species (Cenchrus purpureus, Cyanodon dactylon, Megathyrus maximus, Pennisetum ciliare) as baits in sticky ovitraps and autocidal gravid ovitraps (AGOs) under laboratory, semifield, and field conditions...

Over the course of three years, 200 ft to 0.75 mi (60 m to 1.2 km) sections of 3 larger (>6 ft [1.8 m] diam) belowground storm sewer conveyance pipes in the northwestern Chicago suburbs were inspected for the presence of adult mosquitoes. Culex mosquitoes were by far the most common (555 of 556 [99.8%] total mosquitoes) collected within pipes during all four meteorological seasons (i.e. during months of October, January, May, August). These observations support prior work elsewhere, suggesting storm sewer pipes are consistent sites of refuge for adult Culex mosquitoes...

While most research on West Nile virus (WNV) and its main vector, the Culex mosquito, has been conducted in laboratory or urban settings, studies with field-caught mosquitoes in rural areas, such as west-central Illinois, are lacking. The objective of this research was to investigate key abiotic factors using macroclimate data, including temperature, precipitation, and wind speed, to determine their influence on field-caught mosquito abundance in 4 rural counties in Illinois from 2014 to 2016. Additionally, the relationship between minimum infection rate (MIR) and thermal time was examined...

Aedes aegypti is an anthropophilic mosquito that vectors dengue, chikungunya, Zika, and yellow fever viruses. The US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)'s autocidal gravid ovitraps (AGOs) may facilitate the control of container-inhabiting Aedes mosquitoes and curb arbovirus outbreaks by taking advantage of oviposition-seeking behavior using pesticide-free technology. The AGOs, manufactured by SpringStar Inc., were tested during the summer of 2018 in St. Augustine, FL. A total of 1,718 AGOs were deployed for study in 3 different 40-acre (∼18...

Aedes aegypti is an anthropophilic mosquito that vectors dengue, chikungunya, Zika, and yellow fever viruses. The US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)'s autocidal gravid ovitraps (AGOs) may facilitate the control of container-inhabiting Aedes mosquitoes and curb arbovirus outbreaks by taking advantage of oviposition-seeking behavior using pesticide-free technology. The AGOs, manufactured by SpringStar Inc., were tested during the summer of 2018 in St. Augustine, FL. A total of 1,718 AGOs were deployed for study in 3 different 40-acre (∼18...

The sterile insect technique (SIT) and the incompatible insect technique (IIT) are emerging and potentially revolutionary tools for controlling Aedes aegypti (L.), a prominent worldwide mosquito vector threat to humans that is notoriously difficult to reduce or eliminate in intervention areas using traditional integrated vector management (IVM) approaches. Here we provide an overview of the discovery, development, and application of SIT and IIT to Ae. aegypti control, and innovations and advances in technology, including transgenics, that could elevate these techniques to a worldwide sustainable solution to Ae...

Over the course of three years, 200 ft to 0.75 mi (60 m to 1.2 km) sections of 3 larger (>6 ft [1.8 m] diam) belowground storm sewer conveyance pipes in the northwestern Chicago suburbs were inspected for the presence of adult mosquitoes. Culex mosquitoes were by far the most common (555 of 556 [99.8%] total mosquitoes) collected within pipes during all four meteorological seasons (i.e. during months of October, January, May, August). These observations support prior work elsewhere, suggesting storm sewer pipes are consistent sites of refuge for adult Culex mosquitoes...

The Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus, is an important vector of chikungunya, dengue, yellow fever, and Zika viruses. Vector control remains an important means for the prevention and control of vector-borne diseases. The development of insecticide resistance has become a serious threat to the efficacy of insecticide-based control programs. To understand the resistance status and the underlying genetic mechanism in mosquitoes in Guangyuan City of Sichuan Province, China, we investigated the susceptibility of Ae...

The BG Sentinel-2 (BGS-2) and BG-Pro traps (BGS-2 configuration) were compared for their effectiveness to collect Aedes vectors and related nuisance mosquitoes in north central Florida during 2022. Traps were baited with either dry ice pellets, pressurized carbon dioxide (CO2) gas, or the novel BG yeast-derived CO2 generator. Additionally, each trap was fitted with the BG Sweetscent lure. Sixteen species were collected including Aedes albopictus and Ae. aegypti, which accounted for about 20% of the collections...

A low odor formulation of ultra-low volume (ULV) malathion (Fyfanon EW®) mosquito adulticide was evaluated in the field for its efficacy using caged female Aedes aegypti. Cages were placed in three rows, 30 m apart at 30, 60, and 90 m from the spray line. The product was applied at the manufacturer's suggested operational rate of 0.28 liter/min (9.5 fl oz/min) and at the maximum label rate of 0.37 liter/min (12.6 fl oz/min) with a Guardian 190ES truck mounted ULV sprayer. At 1 h post-treatment for the manufacturer's suggested operational rate, adult mortality ranged from 85% at 30 m to 46% at 90 m (overall average 65...

We report the efficacy of a commercial formulation of the insecticide spinosad against larvae of Anopheles stephensi populations found in the city of Jigjiga, Somali Region, eastern Ethiopia. Batches of 25 larvae (late III to early IV instars) collected from large water storage reservoirs associated with construction sites (the primary An. stephensi larval site in the dry season) were tested under laboratory conditions against each insecticide at a dose recommended by the manufacturer (Natular® G30, 0...

In the western United States, Culex tarsalis is the most important vector of West Nile virus. Insecticides containing permethrin or other pyrethroid compounds are commonly used to control these mosquitoes. Because of the range of environments where Cx. tarsalis are found, this species is under insecticide pressure from both vector control and agricultural spraying. Mosquito populations may evolve resistance through mechanisms such as target site insensitivity, including the frequently identified knockdown resistance (kdr) mutations...

Mosquito-borne diseases (MBDs) pose a significant public health concern globally, and India, with its unique eco-sociodemographic characteristics, is particularly vulnerable to these diseases. This comprehensive review aims to provide an in-depth overview of MBDs in India, emphasizing their impact and potential implications for global health. The article explores distribution, epidemiology, control or elimination, and economic burden of the prevalent diseases such as malaria, dengue, chikungunya, Japanese encephalitis, and lymphatic filariasis, which collectively contribute to millions of cases annually...

Achieving an appropriate droplet size distribution for adulticiding has proved problematic for unmanned aerial spray systems (UASSs). The high-pressure pumping systems utilized on crewed aircraft conflict with the weight constraints of UASSs. The alternative is a lightweight rotary atomizer, which when run at a maximum rpm with a minimal flow rate can achieve the appropriate droplet size distribution. For this study a UASS was calibrated to discharge an appropriate droplet size distribution (Dv0.5 of 48 µm and Dv0...

Mosquitoes are a known public nuisance and can vector various diseases. Historically, New Orleans, LA, has long been acquainted with the burden of mosquito-borne diseases, such as malaria and yellow fever in the 20th century and West Nile virus in the 21st century. Government mosquito control awareness campaigns have been around for decades as has the use of organophosphate and pyrethroid insecticides by mosquito abatement districts. However, few data are available on public perception of mosquito control and public usage of insecticides to kill mosquitoes in New Orleans...

The establishment and oviposition of Aedes aegypti can vary from one location to another partially due to differing temperature and precipitation. In 2017, Ae. aegypti was first detected in Merced in the Central Valley of California. The objectives of this study were to examine the influence of temperature and precipitation on oviposition of Ae. aegypti, and to determine the beginning and end of the seasonal activity of Ae. aegypti in Merced. The study site consisted of a residential area in the north-east region of Merced where Ae...