Evaluation of the Trapping Performance of Four Biogents AG Traps and Two Lures for the Surveillance of Aedes albopictus and Other Host-Seeking Mosquitoes.

The BG-Sentinel® (BGS) trap has recently been redesigned for increased durability and ergonomic functionality, marketed as the BG-Sentinel 2® (BGS2). We evaluated the trapping performance of these 2 traps in addition to the BG-Sentinel prototype (BGSP), a model similar to the BGS2 that was beta tested in several US states in 2014, and the BG-SNAP (SNAP), which is a prototype revision of the BG-Mosquitito™. We also evaluated 2 new Biogents AG lures: the BG-Lure cartridge and BG-Sweetscent™, as they are granular formulations replacing the original mesh BG-Lure®. Evaluations were conducted between July and September 2015 under field conditions within a suburban area in southeastern Virginia. The 4 traps were compared with their respective lure systems (BGS, BGSP, and BGS2 with BG-Lure cartridge; SNAP with BG-Sweetscent). No significant differences were seen in total female mosquito collections among the 3 BG-Sentinel models. All 3 Sentinels collected significantly more female mosquitoes than the SNAP (P ≤ 0.009); BGS and BGS2 both collected significantly more Aedes albopictus females than the SNAP (P ≤ 0.02). The 2 lures were compared in both BGS2 and SNAP traps. Although both lures performed significantly better in the BGS2 trap (P ≤ 0.0003), there were no significant differences in number of mosquitoes or species composition collected with BG-Sweetscent and BG-Lure cartridge within the same trap type.

Comparison of Trapping Performance Between the Original BG-Sentinel® Trap and BG-Sentinel 2® Trap (1).

Recently, the BG-Sentinel® trap (BGS) trap has been reconfigured for increased durability during harsh field conditions. We evaluated the attractiveness of this redesigned trap, BG-Sentinel 2® (BGS2), and its novel granular lure cartridge system relative to the original trap and lure. Granular lures containing different combinations of lactic acid, ammonia, hexanoic acid, and octenol were also evaluated. Lure cartridges with all components except octenol trapped significantly more Aedes albopictus than lures containing octenol. This new granular lure combination and original BG-Lure® system were paired with BGS and BGS2 traps to compare relative attractiveness of the lures and the traps. All evaluations were conducted under field conditions in a suburban neighborhood in northeastern Florida from July to October 2014. Overall, the average numbers of Ae. albopictus collected by BGS or BGS2 were similar regardless of the lure type (i.e., mesh bag versus granules) (P  =  0.56). The functionality and durability of both trap models are discussed.

Assessing Carbon Dioxide and Synthetic Lure-Baited Traps for Dengue and Chikungunya Vector Surveillance (3).

The Aedes mosquito vectors of dengue virus (DENV) and chikungunya virus (CHIKV) are attracted to specific host cues that are not generated by traditional light traps. For this reason multiple companies have designed traps to specifically target those species. Recently the standard trap for DENV and CHIKV vectors, the BG-Sentinel (BGS) trap, has been remodeled to be more durable and better suited for use in harsh field conditions, common during military operations, and relabeled the BG-Sentinel 2 (BGS2). This new trap was evaluated against the standard Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) light trap, Zumba Trap, and BG-Mosquitito Trap to determine relative effectiveness in collecting adult Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus. Evaluations were conducted under semifield and field conditions in suburban areas in northeastern Florida from May to August 2014. The BGS2 trap collected more DENV and CHIKV vectors than the standard CDC light trap, Zumba Trap, and BG-Mosquitito Trap, but attracted fewer species, while the BG-Mosquitito Trap attracted the greatest number of mosquito species.

An assessment of adult mosquito collection techniques for studying species abundance and diversity in Maferinyah, Guinea.

BACKGROUND: Several mosquito collection methods are routinely used in vector control programmes. However, they target different behaviours causing bias in estimation of species diversity and abundance. Given the paucity of mosquito trap data in West Africa, we compared the performance of five trap-lure combinations and Human Landing Catches (HLCs) in Guinea. METHODS: CDC light traps (LT), BG sentinel 2 traps (BG2T), gravid traps (GT) and Stealth traps (ST) were compared in a 5 × 5 Latin Square design in three villages in Guinea between June and July 2018. The ST, a portable trap which performs similarly to a LT but incorporates LEDs and incandescent light, was included since it has not been widely tested. BG2T were used with BG and MB5 lures instead of CO2 to test the efficacy of these attractants. HLCs were performed for 5 nights, but not as part of the Latin Square. A Generalised Linear Mixed Model was applied to compare the effect of the traps, sites and collection times on mosquito abundance. Species identification was confirmed using PCR-based analysis and Sanger sequencing. RESULTS: A total of 10,610 mosquitoes were captured across five traps. ST collected significantly more mosquitoes (7096) than the rest of the traps, but resulted in a higher number of damaged specimens. ST and BG2T collected the highest numbers of Anopheles gambiae (s.l.) and Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, respectively. HLCs captured predominantly An. coluzzii (41%) and hybrids of An. gambiae and An. coluzzii (36%) in contrast to the five traps, which captured predominantly An. melas (83%). The rural site (Senguelen) presented the highest abundance of mosquitoes and overall diversity in comparison with Fandie (semi-rural) and Maferinyah Centre I (semi-urban). Our results confirm the presence of four species for the first time in Guinea. CONCLUSIONS: ST collected the highest number of mosquitoes suggesting this trap may play an important role for mosquito surveillance in Guinea and similar sites in West Africa. We recommend the incorporation of molecular tools in entomological studies since they have helped to identify 25 mosquito species in this area.