Abstract
Most mosquito species have 2 hosts: vertebrate animals and vascular plants. The kairomones of vertebrates have been employed extensively as attractants in traps that are used for surveillance, either to assess adult density of mosquito populations or to detect pathogen activity. They also have been employed in basic field studies of mosquito physiology, behavior, and ecology. The semiochemicals that mosquitoes use to find plant hosts for their sugar, by contrast, have not been utilized at all. Currently we are characterizing attractive blends of volatile compounds produced by plant species visited by Aedes vexans, Culex pipiens, and Anopheles gambiae. These blends may be effective in attracting a unique subset of a mosquito population when deployed in surveillance traps. The principal advantages of phytochemical attractants are that they lure a) both sexes, b) all ages, including those that are newly emerged, c) females in all gonotrophic states, and d) both nondiapausing and reproductively diapausing females. Potential challenges to their successful use are the abundance of competing volatiles, narrow plant-host specificity, and a weaker behavioral response to phytochemical cues.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
