The Zumba™ Mosquito Trap and Bg-Sentinel™ Trap: Novel Surveillance Tools for Host-Seeking Mosquitoes

Abstract

In a periurban habitat located in Northern Virginia, this study used 13 replicates of a 4 x 4 Latin square to evaluate the efficacy of 2 novel mosquito traps, the Zumba mosquito trap and the BG-Sentinel trap, against 2 existing host-seeking mosquito traps [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) miniature light and CDC Fay-Prince]. All traps were baited with the BG-Lure and CO2. The Zumba trap, baited with the BG-Lure and CO2 (Zumba trap combination) was the most productive and diverse trap, averaging 35.51 mosquitoes and 4.16 species per trapping period. It collected 19 times as many Culexpipiens/restuans, which will be referred to as Cx. pip/res, as the other traps and was the only trap to collect West Nile virus (WNV)-infected host-seeking Cx. pip/res in the study area. The BG-Sentinel trap, baited with the BG-Lure and CO2 (BG-Sentinel trap combination) collected 7 times as many female Aedes albopictus as the CDC miniature light or Fay-Prince traps. The Zumba trap combination collected 4 times as many female Ae. albopictus as the CDC miniature light or Fay-Prince traps. The WNV infection rate of Cx. pip/res and Ae. albopictus collected by the Zumba trap combination was consistently greater than the infection rates for these species collected in the Fairfax County program's routine CDC miniature light traps and comparable to the infection rate found in the Cx. pip/res collected in the program's routine gravid traps. Both the Zumba and BG-Sentinel trap combinations collected WNV-infected Ae. albopictus in the study area.