RESUMEN
Monitoring mosquito populations is essential to designing and implementing control strategies. Recent strategies based on releasing biologically modified mosquitoes have increased the need to effectively monitor mosquito abundance. Unfortunately, existing surveillance traps are of limited value due to their high cost and low capture rates. Here, we report the results of experiments designed to evaluate the effectiveness of an acoustic trap prototype. Stimuli synthesized from recordings of Ae. aegypti wingbeat signals and pure tones were evaluated as attractants to males in indoor and semi-field conditions. Overall, the acoustic trap´s efficacy differed significantly between indoor and semi-field conditions. After two hours of indoor recapture, â¼69% of males were collected from acoustic traps broadcasting pure tones while â¼78% of males were collected using synthesized wingbeat signals. Under semi-field conditions, however, acoustic traps collected less than â¼1.7% of the males released. Increasing the intensity of the signals up to 90 dB (SPL re. 20 uPa at 1 m from the trap) did not improve the capture rate under semi-field conditions. Overall, our results indicate that acoustic signals synthesized from recordings of wingbeats can be used to enhance capture of male Ae. aegypti.
Asunto(s)
Aedes/fisiología , Dengue/prevención & control , Control de Mosquitos/métodos , Mosquitos Vectores/fisiología , Estimulación Acústica , Animales , Dengue/transmisión , Monitoreo Epidemiológico , MasculinoRESUMEN
The effects of colonization on host-seeking behavior of mosquitoes was examined by comparing attraction responses of newly colonized Aedes aegypti (L.) from field-collected eggs in Puerto Rico to that of the Gainesville (Florida) strain, originally from Orlando (Florida) and in colony since 1952. Females from the Orlando and the F0 through F10 generations of the Puerto Rico strain were evaluated using attractant odors in a triple-cage dual-port olfactometer. Two attractant sources were used: odors from the hand of a volunteer and a standard blend of L-lactic acid, acetone, and dimethyl disulfide. Convergence of the percentage of attraction responses occurred around the F4-F6 generations of the Puerto Rico strain. Both the Orlando and Puerto Rico strains exhibited similar responses for tests with the remaining F7-F10 generations. A temporal effect on mosquito responses was observed for both strains regardless of the attractant blend used in tests. This study indicates that Ae. aegypti host-seeking behavior changes significantly over the first four to six generations after introduction into the laboratory, whereas the field-collected strain increases in attraction response until it stabilizes at a new level.
Asunto(s)
Aedes/fisiología , Acetona/farmacología , Aedes/efectos de los fármacos , Aedes/genética , Animales , Conducta Apetitiva/efectos de los fármacos , Disulfuros/farmacología , Conducta Alimentaria/efectos de los fármacos , Femenino , Ácido Láctico/farmacología , Odorantes , Puerto Rico , Selección GenéticaRESUMEN
A synthetic blend of chemicals comprising volatiles released by the human body has been shown to be an effective attractant for female Aedes aegypti in olfactometer bioassays with laboratory-reared mosquitoes. We report the laboratory evaluation of Ae. aegypti response to a synthetic blend tested with 4 types of mosquito traps (CDC model 512, CDC model 1012, CFG, and Fay-Prince traps). Aedes aegypti females were attracted significantly by the blend. The higher release rate of attractant (320.2 +/- 10.71 mg/h) more efficiently attracted mosquitoes than the lower release rate (42.0 +/- 2.3 mg/h). Although both the Fay-Prince and CFG traps caught higher number of mosquitoes than the other traps, only the CFG trap caught a statistically significant greater number of mosquitoes. The results suggest that the synthetic blend is effective in attracting Ae. aegypti females under controlled laboratory conditions (i.e., a closed system). Further studies are needed to evaluate the efficacy of this blend in baited traps under field conditions.