Development of a Field Portable Mosquito Monitoring System with Attractant

The first line of defense against vector-borne diseases is vector control. Vector control requires constant monitoring of vector populations. Monitoring provides information about a vector's spatial and temporal distribution and is essential in establishing preventive measures against the pest. Monitoring is also important in directing control efforts and as such has shown its value in the eradication of populations of medically important insects. The system developed will be used in combination with an attractant-monitoring surface. Fortunately, within the past six months ISCA Technologies, Inc. has disclosed a novel mosquito lure, which proves to be highly effective in attracting host-seeking Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus females. Initial laboratory data suggests that under controlled lab conditions, this lure/trap combination captures mosquitoes at a rate comparable to human landing and biting collections. The thrust of this project's research is to adapt modern technology to incorporate observational monitoring software into a field portable mosquito monitoring system for common vectors of disease, such as adult Anopheles stephensi and Aedes aegypti, vectors of malaria and dengue respectively. A portable device ready to use anywhere that electronically scores the number of disease carrying insects. We envisage a field portable, durable, light, remote mosquito monitoring system that incorporates observational software with more robust algorithms to handle lower contrast settings with higher background noise levels, into a small "data logger" type device used in conjunction with a miniature camera(s)/ imagery device to accurately record both visual and time duration data of mosquitoes landing on an artificial attractant surface.