Mosquito Control: Methods and Approaches

Monitoring mosquito abundance is crucial for understanding the population dynamics of mosquito species and forecasting transmission risk of mosquito-borne diseases.

Several mosquito traps can be used to capture adult mosquitoes, including the New Jersey light trap and CDC CO2 light trap for nighttime biters, and the BG-Sentinel trap for daytime biters. Gravid and ovitrap are designed to capture gravid female mosquitoes for pathogen detection and monitoring mosquito population, respectively. Vector control, which aims to reduce the number of mosquitoes to minimize the transmission risk of mosquito-borne diseases, can be achieved through biological, environmental, and chemical methods. Biological control uses predators or pathogens, such as mosquitofish or BTI bacteria, to kill mosquito larvae. Environmental control relies on source reduction, community participation, and health education. Chemical control, which includes insecticide and IGR, is effective for controlling adult mosquitoes and larvae but requires careful monitoring for insecticide resistance. Genetic control, such as the release of GMOs or Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes, is still under development.

• Why is monitoring mosquito abundance important for understanding mosquito-borne diseases?
• What are the differences between the New Jersey light trap, CDC CO2 light trap, and BG-Sentinel trap?
• How are gravid and ovitrap different from other mosquito traps?
• What are the three major categories of vector control methods?
• What is genetic control, and what are its potential applications?