Wingbeat frequency-sweep and visual stimuli for trapping male Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae)

Authors: JAKHETE, S - NON ARS EMPLOYEE; Allan, Sandra - Sandy; Mankin, Richard

Submitted to: Journal of Medical Entomology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/17/2017
Publication Date: 4/5/2017
Citation: Jakhete, S.S., Allan, S.A., Mankin, R.W. 2017. Wingbeat frequency-sweep and visual stimuli for trapping male Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae). Journal of Medical Entomology. 54(5):1415-1419. https://doi.org/10.1093/jme/tjx074.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jme/tjx074

Interpretive Summary: Aedes aegypti mosquitoes are a globally spreading threat to human health due to their expansion into new areas and their spread of important pathogens, including Zika virus, dengue, chikungunya and yellow fever. Researchers and public health workers are trying to develop improved methods to trap male mosquitoes due to innovative control methods that involve genetic or biological modifications of males, or that employ males to target transfer of pesticides or biological control agents to females or breeding sites. Students at the University of Florida and scientists at the USDA, Agricultural Research Service, Center for Medical, Agricultural, and Veterinary Entomology, Gainesville, Florida, investigated methods to combine multiple stimuli attractive to male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes into a highly effective trap employing visual cues shown in specific light wavelengths and/or acoustic cues from speakers broadcasting sounds mimicking female wingbeats. More males were found in traps that combined both visual and sound cues than were found in traps with none or only one. Potential applications are presented for incorporating these visual and acoustic cue sources into new, innovative trapping programs.

Technical Abstract: Combinations of female wingbeat acoustic cues and visual cues were evaluated to determine their potential for use in male Aedes aegypti (L.) traps in peridomestic environments. A modified Centers for Disease control (CDC) light trap using a 350-500 Hz frequency-sweep broadcast from a speaker as an acoustic stimulus, combined with a black poster-board half-cylinder behind the trap as a visual stimulus, captured a significantly greater proportion of males in a laboratory arena during daylight than a CDC trap with the visual stimulus alone or a CDC trap alone without stimuli. Traps of each treatment type captured relatively more males when they were placed at darker positions in the arena. Potential applications are discussed for the incorporation of these findings into trapping programs to reduce transmission of human pathogens vectored by Ae. aegypti.