271 - Can Low-Density In2Care Trap Deployment Manage Mosquito Populations?

Management of mosquito populations through area-wide applications of insecticides has become increasingly difficult due to the limited number of modes of action available to professional, legislation of existing chemistries, and increasing rates of insecticide resistance in target populations. These challenges have led to an increasing number of alternative and supplemental tools to aid in mosquito management. One of these tools, the In2Care mosquito trap, has been shown to effectively control populations when used at the recommended 10 traps/acre. However, the cost of deployment in equipment and labor is often higher than other integrated approaches. To determine if treatment efficacy can be maintained, while reducing the cost of usage, we conducted 2 years of In2Care deployment in a Gainesville, FL neighborhood at 3 traps/acre. During the first year, we conducted In2Care trap deployment without the use of other integrated mosquito management practices, while in the second year the neighborhood was treated regularly using a Baccilus thuringiensis subspecies israelensis-based larvicide. During deployment, we surveilled the impacts of deployment on Aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus adult, larval, and egg abundance. We found no significant impact on either Aedes aegypti or Culex quinquefasciatus resulting from trap deployment, implying that high-density applications are necessary to induce population reductions.