Abstract
Our ultimate objective is to design cost-effective control strategies for Aedes albopictus, the Asian tiger mosquito, an important urban nuisance and disease vector that expanded worldwide during the last 40 years. We conducted mosquito larval surveys from May through October 2009 in the City of Trenton, New Jersey, USA, while performing intensive monthly source-reduction campaigns that involved removing, emptying, or treating all accessible containers with larvicides and pupicides. We examined patterns of occurrence of Ae. albopictus and Culex pipiens, another urban mosquito, among different container types by comparing observed and expected number of positive containers of each type. Expected use was based on the relative frequency of each container type in the environment. Aedes albopictus larvae and pupae were found significantly more often than expected in medium volumes of water in buckets and plant saucers but were rarely collected in small volumes of water found in trash items such as discarded cups and cans. They were also absent from large volumes of water such as in abandoned swimming pools and catch basins, although we consistently collected Cx. pipiens from those habitats. The frequency of Ae. albopictus in tires indicated rapid and extensive use of these ubiquitous urban containers. Standard larval-based indices did not correlate with adult catches in BG-Sentinel traps, but when based only on Ae. albopictus key containers (buckets, plant saucers, equipment with pockets of water, and tires) they did. Although we found that only 1.2% of the 20,039 water-holding containers examined contained immature Ae. albopictus (5.3% if only key containers were counted), adult populations were still above nuisance action thresholds six times during the 2009 mosquito season. We conclude that in urban New Jersey, effective source reduction for Ae. albopictus control will require scrupulous and repeated cleaning or treatment of everyday use containers and extensive homeowner collaboration.
Highlights
Mosquitoes that oviposit and develop in containers, such as several invasive Aedes and Culex species, are commonly the primary nuisances and pathogen vectors in large urban areas [1,2]
Our study provides an account of the types of containers that are refractory to treatment in a representative portion of a typical inner-city urban neighborhood in the northeastern USA
Eventhough intensive and extensive source-reduction practices were being implemented monthly at the site, immature Ae. albopictus consistently occurred in medium volumes of water within buckets, tires, plant saucers, and in pockets of water in large pieces of equipment
Summary
Mosquitoes that oviposit and develop in containers, such as several invasive Aedes and Culex species, are commonly the primary nuisances and pathogen vectors in large urban areas [1,2]. The current paradigm is that unlike wetland mosquito species that oviposit and develop in habitats that are large, predictable, and easy to identify, the numerous small habitats used by container-inhabiting species are difficult to locate and control [3]. This problem has led to intense research into the determination of the most productive and preferred containers by these mosquitoes in order to direct effective control strategies [4,5,6,7]. Aedes albopictus (Skuse) is often found in a remarkably diverse array of containers [7,14,15] including trash items such as small cups and cans, implying the need for exhaustive source reduction a labor intensive and costly strategy
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