Use of an aquatic light trap for monitoring larval population of Culex quinquefasciatus (Diptera: Culicidae).

Abstract

An aquatic light trap was evaluated in wading pools placed in a greenhouse as a method of sampling populations of mosquito larvae. Three replicated experiments examined the effect of the color of a Cyalume light source and the vertical placement of the trap within the water column. Traps placed with the entrance funnel opening at the surface of the water collected significantly more fourth-instar Culex quinquefasciatus than did those with the entrance submerged. When traps were placed near the surface of the water, those with blue, yellow, and white light sticks, as well as unlighted control traps, collected approximately the same number of larvae. Therefore, a small change in trap position was more important than the presence of a light source in the effectiveness of this aquatic light trap as a sampling device for mosquito larvae.