A simple method for sampling indoor-resting malaria mosquitoes Anopheles gambiae and Anopheles funestus (Diptera: Culicidae) in Africa.

Sampling indoor resting African malaria vectors is traditionally done by hand catches with oral or mechanical aspirators and pyrethrum spray catches (PSCs). In this study, we designed and briefly evaluated an inexpensive but practical alternative by using a cloth resting box or wicker resting basket and a ceiling net. Evaluations were performed in greenhouse and field situations in rural Kenya by comparing capture rates of Anopheles gambiae s.l. and Anopheles funestus (Giles) in these traps to hand collections and PSCs. A resting box and a ceiling net when used together collected more mosquitoes than a single collector using a hand-held aspirator but only one-third the number collected by PSCs. At sites where PSCs are impractical, a resting box and ceiling net can be effectively used as an alternative to hand catches in malaria surveillance.