The pupae of Ochlerotatus gubernatoris and Oc. unicinctus are described and illustrated for the first time. They were collected in the Himalaya Mountains of Nepal during field trips to the region. Both breed in natural and artificial containers.

We analyzed 790 Aedes aegypti from 14 localities of Mexico in 2009 to update information on the frequency of the Ile1016 allele in the voltage-gated sodium channel gene that confers resistance to pyrethroids and DDT. The Ile1016 mutation was present in all 17 collections, and was close to fixation <]?>in Acapulco (frequency  =  0.97), Iguala (0.93), and San Nicolas (0.90). Genotypes at the 1016 locus were not in Hardy–Weinberg proportions in collections from Panuco, Veracruz, Cosoleacaque, Coatzacoalcos, Tantoyuca, and Monterrey due in every case to an excess of homozygotes. The high frequencies of this mutation in Ae. aegypti are probably due to selection pressure from pyrethroid insecticides, particularly permethrin, which has been used in mosquito control programs for >10 years in Mexico.

The rapid spread of West Nile viral activity across North America since its discovery in 1999 illustrates the potential for an exotic arbovirus to be introduced and become widely established across North America. Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) has been responsible for large outbreaks in Africa that have resulted in hundreds of thousands of human infections and major economic disruption due to loss of livestock and to trade restrictions. However, little is known about the potential for mosquitoes in Canada to transmit this virus, should it be introduced into North America. Therefore, we evaluated mosquito species captured near Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, for their ability to serve as potential vectors for RVFV. Mosquitoes were exposed to RVFV by allowing them to feed on adult hamsters inoculated the previous day with RVFV. These mosquitoes were tested for infection, dissemination, and the ability to transmit RVFV after incubation at 25°C for 14–18 days. Based on the detection of virus in saliva collected in capillary tubes, individual Culex tarsalis, Aedes sticticus, and Coquillettidia perturbans were able to transmit RVFV under laboratory conditions. These preliminary results suggest that these 3 species may be able to transmit RVFV, should this virus be introduced into Canada.

Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) causes outbreaks of severe disease in domestic ungulates as well as humans in Africa. There is a concern that outbreaks of Rift Valley fever may continue and that this virus may spread into regions where it had not previously been detected. Surveillance and rapid detection are critical to the initiation of an effective disease control program. Here we report on the field evaluation in Kenya of the VectorTest® RVFV antigen assay, modeled on the VecTest® assay for West Nile virus. The dipsticks provided results in <20 min, were easy to use, and did not require a laboratory with containment facilities. Although none of the field-collected mosquitoes were infected with RVFV, the dipstick provided a clear positive result with pools of field-collected mosquitoes spiked with a single positive, irradiated (to inactivate any infectious virus) mosquito. Similarly, the dipstick was able to detect virus from pools of mosquitoes captured during the RVFV outbreak in 2007. The RVFV dipstick assay was highly specific with only a single weak false positive out of 266 pools tested (specificity > 99.6%). The RVFV assay can provide a rapid, safe, easy-to-use preliminary test to alert public health personnel to the presence of RVFV in mosquitoes in a given area. Results from this assay will allow for more rapid medical threat assessments and the focusing of vector control measures on high-risk areas.

The cyclopoid crustacean Mesocyclops longisetus was evaluated for its predatory potential to reduce container-inhabiting mosquitoes in 5 suburban Florida backyards. Aedes albopictus, Ae. triseriatus, and Culex quinquefasciatus were the predominant species collected from containers. At an initial inoculation rate of ∼120 copepods per container, M. longisetus populations eliminated resident mosquito larvae for a minimum of 14 wk in 30-liter plastic buckets and up to 29 wk in 0.4-liter ceramic flowerpots and 0.3-liter glass jars depending on species. Copepod populations generally peaked 13 wk after introduction (August) in ceramic flowerpots and glass jars and about 1 month later in tires, plastic buckets, and plastic flowerpots. At the time of peak abundance, average predator numbers ranged between 900 (glass jar) to >3000 (30-liter bucket) individuals per container. Although all mosquito species were eliminated from all containers sometime during the 35-wk study, M. longisetus appeared to preferably prey on Aedes larvae compared with Culex. Operationally, the use of M. longisetus as a tool for control of container-inhabiting mosquitoes in urban/suburban settings proved to be relatively inexpensive, required little labor for colony maintenance, was easily transported, and easily applied.

Culex tritaeniorhynchus, Cx. gelidus, and Cx. quinquefasciatus, known vectors of Japanese encephalitis (JE), are distributed in rice agroecosystems in Asian countries. Very few integrated studies on the breeding habitats of rice-field mosquitoes, including JE vectors, have been conducted in Vietnam. We investigated the mosquito fauna and potential predators in 8 rice growing areas in the Mekong Delta region of southern Vietnam, during the wet and dry seasons of 2009. Mosquitoes and their predators were collected from a variety of aquatic habitats (rice fields, ponds, wetlands, shrimp ponds, ditches, canals, and rivers). We collected 936 Culex spp. (354 Cx. tritaeniorhynchus, 240 Cx. vishnui s.l., 189 Cx. fuscocephala, and 42 Cx. gelidus), 33 Uranotaenia, 25 Anopheles, and 9 Mimomyia (4 Mi. chamberlaini) in the dry season. During the rainy season, we collected 1,232 Culex spp. (132 Cx. vishnui s.l., 66 Cx. tritaeniorhynchus, 9 Cx. gelidus, 4 Cx. fuscocephala, and 2 Cx. bitaeniorhynchus), 236 Anopheles spp. (40 An. vagus and 1 An. sinensis), and 7 Uranotaenia (3 Ur. lateralis). Heteroptera such as Micronecta, Veliidae, and Pleidae were abundant and widely distributed in both seasons. Based on a stepwise generalized linear model, the abundance of mosquitoes and their predators in rice fields was high when the rice plant length was short and water depth was shallow. Therefore, the use of insecticides during the earlier stages of rice growth should be avoided in order to preserve the predator populations.

The relative attractiveness of Mosquito Magnet-X® suction traps baited with various combinations of the BG Lure, nonanal, 1-octen-3-ol (octenol), and carbon dioxide was evaluated against laboratory-reared female Aedes albopictus and Culex quinquefasciatus in semi–field trials in northwestern Florida. In the absence of carbon dioxide, traps baited with the BG Lure (comprised of ammonia, caproic acid, and lactic acid) collected just as many mosquitoes as traps baited with carbon dioxide only. The numbers of mosquitoes caught in traps baited with no carbon dioxide and only nonanal, octenol, or their combination with or without the BG Lure were generally depressed compared with traps baited with carbon dioxide alone. When these chemicals were combined with carbon dioxide, no significant difference existed in the abundance of either mosquito species caught compared with traps baited only with carbon dioxide. However, in one trial, the combination of BG Lure plus octenol and carbon dioxide resulted in nearly a 4-fold depression in Ae. albopictus collections compared with carbon dioxide–only baited traps. The reason for this discordance remains to be investigated.

There is a great need for novel insecticides to control mosquitoes. VectoMax™ is a new mosquito larvicide that combines toxins from Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis (Bti) and Bacillus sphaericus (Bs), and is designed to provide extended mosquito control. We tested the initial efficacy and longevity of control of mosquitoes using one of the formulations, VectoMax CG, in a full-scale study conducted in seasonal wetlands. VectoMax CG was applied by air at 8.9 kg/ha to 3 wetlands and 3 others were untreated controls. VectoMax CG controlled Culex tarsalis through day 28 and showed activity against Aedes melanimon. Use of this dual-material, extended-action formulation could minimize inspection visits and reduce application costs compared to Bti and Bs alone, and its combination of toxins may forestall resistance development.

The effectiveness of spinosad and temephos for the control of mosquito larvae was evaluated in a tire dump in Allende, Nuevo Leon, Mexico. Three groups of 12 to 17 tires located in tree shade were utilized for this study. After the larvicides were applied, samples were collected weekly from 7 randomly chosen tires. The data showed a significant difference between the larvicides and control. Under the conditions of the present study, the effectiveness of spinosad against mosquito larvae was similar to that of temephos, both being effective for up to 91 days postapplication. In addition, spinosad allowed the establishment of the mosquito predator Toxorhynchites sp.

The Florida Keys Mosquito Control District has conducted larvicide missions on uninhabited offshore islands of the Great White Heron National Wildlife Refuge and the National Key Deer Refuge since 2003. The objective of these missions is to reduce the need to apply adulticides on nearby populated islands where private lands are interspersed with refuge lands that support a diverse assemblage of native butterflies and insect-pollinated plants on Big Pine Key, No Name Key, Little Torch Key, Middle Torch Key, and Big Torch Key (the Torch Keys). More than 800 visits were made to refuge islands by Florida Keys Mosquito Control District personnel; 334 aerial larvicide missions were flown. From 2003 to 2010, a marked reduction in adult mosquito numbers was seen on Big Pine Key, and to a lesser extent on No Name Key. Seasonal distribution of mosquitoes was not different, however. Number of aerial adulticide missions flown on Big Pine Key, No Name Key, and the Torch Keys was 2, 1, and 2 in 2003; 9, 10, and 7 in 2004; 4, 4, and 2 in 2005; 6, 6, and 7 in 2006; 1, 0, and 0 in 2007; 3, 2, and 4 in 2008; 4, 3, and 4 in 2009; and 1, 1, and 3 in 2010, respectively. This is a dramatic reduction from prior years; from 1998 to 2002, 57 aerial adulticide missions were flown on Big Pine Key, 45 missions were flown on No Name Key, and 38 on the Torch Keys. Larviciding is an important component of an integrated approach to mosquito management that seeks to reduce environmental impacts on the national wildlife refuges.

We assessed the efficacy of ultra-low volume aerial adulticiding with 2 new water-based, unsynergized formulations of Aqua-K-Othrin (2% deltamethrin) and Pesguard S102 (10% d-phenothrin) against the riceland mosquitoes of Greece. A helicopter with Global Positioning System (GPS) navigation, real-time weather recording, and spray dispersal modeling (AgDISP) was utilized to accurately treat the experimental blocks by adjusting spray line positions to changing meteorological conditions. Two application rates were applied per formulation that corresponded to 0.75 and 1.00 g AI/ha of deltamethrin and 7.50 and 10.00 g AI/ha of d-phenothrin. The mosquitoes used for the trials were the main nuisance species found in rice field areas of Thessaloniki, which were primarily Aedes caspius, followed by Culex modestus and Anopheles sacharovi. Overall mean mortality of caged mosquitoes was 69.2% and 64.8% for deltamethrin and d-phenothrin, respectively. Mean population decrease in wild mosquito populations within the treatment areas was 76.5% and 78% for deltamethrin and d-phenothrin, respectively. The AgDISP dispersal model, coupled with GPS navigation and real-time weather recording, enabled accurate placement of the spray cloud such that the majority of the treatment area received sufficiently high droplet densities to result in uniform caged-mosquito mortality across all sampling sites.

Long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLIN) have been developed for wash resistance and long-lasting effects against mosquito vectors. In this study we evaluated 2 LLIN products, Olyset® net and Permanet® 2.0, washed for 0, 5, 10, 15, and 20 times, against Anopheles stephensi, an urban malaria vector in India. We assessed the wash resistance and efficacy of these nets in relation to bloodfeeding inhibition and percent mortality in cone and tunnel test bioassays. Both Olyset and Permanet showed >80% mortality of An. stephensi in cone bioassays after 20 washes. In tunnel tests there was no significant difference between Olyset and Permanet 2.0 in causing total mosquito mortality (immediate and delayed) up to 10 washes and bloodfeeding inhibition and entry rate up to 15 washes. After the 20th wash, Permanet 2.0 was significantly more effective than the Olyset net in causing total mosquito mortality, whereas Olyset net showed less bloodfeeding and entry of mosquitoes as compared to Permanet 2.0. There was a gradual decline in efficacy of both LLIN products as the number of washings increased. Cone bioassays indicated a strong wash resistance in both the LLIN products after 20 washes. However, the tunnel tests demonstrated a gradual decline in efficacy of both products with the number of washings.

Based on sequence analysis of the mitochondrial gene ND4, we determined the presence in Argentina of 3 haplotypes representing different Aedes (Stegomyia) aegypti lineages previously identified in other countries of the Americas, Africa, and Asia. Haplotype 17, the most frequent in Argentina, was previously detected in Brazil. Haplotype 7, restricted in our study to the northwest of Argentina and Bolivia, was formerly found in low frequency in the USA, Brazil, Mexico, and Senegal. Also haplotype 11, belonging to a different haplogroup than the other two, was observed in the present study; it had been reported before in Africa and Asia, but not in the Americas. The coexistence of haplotypes belonging to divergent haplogroups supports the hypothesis of multiple introductions of the species in Argentina.

Female Aedes albopictus, F₂–F₃ descendents from individuals collected as immatures at 6 geographic sites in the USA during 2008, exposed to short daylengths (10 h of light and 14 h of darkness at 21°C) laid eggs in diapause, whose frequency depended upon population origin. Diapause responses in northern Florida and Illinois were strong, as had been reported approximately 10 years earlier for Ae. albopictus from these regions. For southern Florida, the diapause response was polymorphic, and its mean incidence decreased at 2 of 3 collection sites compared to 10 years earlier. Exposure in the field for 2- to 4-wk intervals in Vero Beach (lat 27°35′N) during January 2009 revealed that eggs laid by short-day females had significantly higher survivorship, even though <50% were estimated, from laboratory results, to be in diapause. Enhanced desiccation resistance may select for retention of diapause in southern Florida.

A novel test procedure can screen seroconversions in sentinel chickens with the commercially available VecTest® designed to detect viral antigens, such as West Nile virus. The test requires minimum laboratory equipment and skills, and provides qualitative results in about 45 min, which are immediately available to vector control agencies for making decisions to manage mosquito populations in order to interrupt arbovirus transmission.

During a mosquito collection, a female of the pigeon louse fly, Pseudolynchia canariensis (Diptera: Hippoboscidae), was collected by a mosquito trap baited with dry ice in Ishigaki-jima, Yaeyama Islands, Japan. This is the 1st record of P. canariensis from Yaeyama Islands.

A mouth aspirator with a bent glass tip was designed for adult mosquito collection and transportation. This aspirator has been utilized for mosquito laboratory and operational research in New Jersey for >60 years. We provide schematics and instruction for construction of this inexpensive and simple mouth aspirator, which offers improved maneuverability of handling adult mosquitoes from rearing cages in the laboratory and field application cages.