Further evaluation of Indoor resting boxes for aedes aegypti surveillance.

ABSTRACT

Several types, locations and intervals of artificial resting boxes were evaluated for their ability to attract Aedes aegypti males and females resting in houses in Thailand. Overall, 34% of both male and female Ae. aegypti captured resting inside houses were collected from the resting boxes. Boxes with black cloth strips covering the entrance attracted the same number of males and females as boxes without strips. There was no significant difference between the mean number of females collected in small resting boxes, with an inside surface area of about one-fifth the surface area of the larger boxes, and the larger boxes. However, significantly, fewer males were collected in the smaller box. The length of time during which the box was placed in the house prior to sampling, either a 15-17-hour interval from evening to the next morning or a 3-4- hour interval in the morning, had no effect on the number of mosquitoes collected. The position where the box was located in the house had more effect on the number of females resting in the box than it did on the number of males. Boxes placed in the dark corners of the house attracted more resting females than those placed in the lighted, open areas, usually in the middle of the house; however, the differences were not significant. The findings further confirm that resting boxes are practical for use in routine sampling of Ae. aegypti inside houses. Small boxes can be transported conveniently and are as efficient for collecting females as larger boxes. Boxes can be placed in lighted or dark areas of a house for as little as 3-4 hours to sample the Ae. aegypti house population.