Evaluation of attractant-baited traps/targets for mosquito management on Key Island, Florida, USA.

A three-year research project was conducted on Key Island, Collier County, Florida, USA, to evaluate an innovative attractant-based mosquito management technique. In the first year, species composition, relative abundance, and spatial distribution were determined. Although 16 species were collected, the dominant species was the black salt march mosquito, Aedes taeniorhynchus, which was the primary pest species. Efficacy of a single line barrier, consisting of 52 carbon dioxide (200 cc/min) + octenol (ca. 4 mg/h) baited traps (1994) or insecticide (lambdacyhalothrin) impregnated shade cloth targets (1995), spaced ca. 16.5 m apart, to reduce mosquito abundance in a resort area, was evaluated on the northern end of the island. Success was evaluated by means of baited surveillance traps located on both sides of the barrier. Traps and targets performed equally well. Though not statistically significant (p > 0.05), there was a reduction in mosquito abundance in the resort area when the barrier was functional. These data indicate that with refinement this mosquito management technique may be practical in certain situations.