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ARS Home » Plains Area » Kerrville, Texas » Knipling-Bushland U.S. Livestock Insects Research Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #162766
Title: COMPARISON OF CARBON DIOXIDE- AND OCTENOL-BAITED ENCEPHALITIS VIRUS SURVEILLANCE MOSQUITO TRAPS AT THE SHOAL WATER BAY TRAINING AREA, QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA

Author
item Miller, Robert
item WING, JEREMY - U.S.NAVY SILVERDALE, WA
item COPE, STANTON - U.S.NAVY GREAT LAKES, IL
item Davey, Ronald
item Kline, Daniel - Dan

Submitted to: American Mosquito Control Association
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/14/2005
Publication Date: 12/21/2005
Citation: Miller, R., Wing, J., Cope, S., Davey, R.B., Kline, D.L. 2005. Comparison of carbon dioxide- and octenol-baited encephalitis virus surveillance mosquito traps at the Shoal Water Bay training area, Queensland, Australia. Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association. 21(4):497-500.

Interpretive Summary: United States Navy Medical Entomologists collect and identify mosquitoes to determine the disease risk to the personnel working in an environment where vector-born disease transmission is possible. One method mosquitoes are captured is with a solid-state Army miniature (SSAM) mosquito trap. Solid-state Army miniature mosquito traps are good at collecting mosquitoes attracted to light and CO2. However, more species and higher numbers of mosquitoes may be captured with the addition of the mosquito attractant octenol. We designed a study to investigate the potential benefit of octenol added to SSAM traps in the Shoalwater Bay Training area during exercise Tandem Thrust 2001. We determined that the addition of octenol to the SSAM traps increased the total number of mosquitoes captured. It also increased the number of species and in some areas was the only method to capture the disease carrying species present. In conclusion the addition of octenol will be very beneficial for the assessment of disease risk in Shoalwater Bay.

Technical Abstract: The use of Octenol in combination with CO2-baited solid-state Army miniature (SSAM) mosquito traps was evaluated under operational conditions while on deployment at the Shoalwater Bay Training area, Queensland Australia, during Operation Tandem Thrust 2001. The addition of octenol increased the number of mosquitoes captured by 5 fold. Additionally, a greater number of species of mosquitoes were captured in traps baited with octenol + CO2 than those baited with only CO2 (6 versus 3). Fewer numbers of mosquitoes were captured within inland environments than coastal. The most commonly observed mosquito species present in the Shoalwater Bay Training Area (SWBTA) during TT01 was the salt marsh breeder, Aedes vigilax, which is also the principal vector of Ross River virus in Queensland, Australia. This study demonstrates the value of octenol to increase mosquito survey efficiency of an important disease vector in the SWBTA.