Laboratory and Field Evaluation of an innovated adult-larval mosquito trap for the capture of dengue vector mosquitoes

Abstract

The exact dates of the introduction of Aedes aegypti and dengue in the Philippines are unknown; however, the first records of the circulation of dengue in the Philippines among accounts from military hygiene records after the Philippine-American War were recorded in 1903 among U.S. soldiers stationed in bases in Manila. So dengue has long been confronting the country, but in 1953, dengue hemorrhagic fever was reported for the first time in this part of Asia. From then on, sporadic dengue cases have been reported in several parts of the country, and control measures were instituted only when necessary. Three (3) trap prototypes, trap x, y, and z, with different trap entrances, were tested for both adult and larval capture of dengue vector mosquitoes in the laboratory and field. Prototype trap x had openings for capture at the sides, prototype y had both side and top outlets for capture, and prototype z had a top entrance only for capture. Release-and-recapture testing on the three trap prototypes revealed that prototype x (side entrance only) captured more Aedes mosquitoes at a low (n=3) to medium (n=25) number of mosquitoes released. Trap z (with top mosquito entrance only) captured more mosquitoes at high densities (n=50). In the field, capture performances on Aedes dengue vector mosquitoes had no significant differences, including the comparator, Ovicatch™. Non-target mosquito capture and non-mosquito capture were comparatively lesser than the capture of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. The prototype x showed Aedes capture performance most comparable to Ovicatch™.