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Traps and Attractant for Surveillance and Control of Mosquitoes Symposium

Traps and Attractant for Surveillance and Control of Mosquitoes Symposium

Traps and Attractant for Surveillance and Control of Mosquitoes Symposium

193 - Evaluating a modified CO2-baited CDC light trap to improve trapping effectiveness in a La Crosse virus endemic area and a coastal environment

Wednesday, March 25, 2026
5:00 PM - 5:10 PM PDT
Location: B116
Abstract: Light attraction is an important behavior in some insects. Traps built to capture mosquitoes, like the CDC miniature light trap, take advantage of this behavior attracting mosquitoes that exhibit positive phototaxis. However, prior studies have demonstrated that the removal of the incandescent light results in the increased capture of negatively phototactic species, like the invasive Aedes albopictus. We explored this concept by modifying the CDC light trap, producing a 15-minute on/off cycle of light utilizing an Arduino Nano microcontroller board. The modified trap, nicknamed the WCU Arduino Modified light Oscillator (WAMO), was first tested using a 3 x 3 x 3 x 3 Latin-square experimental design (CDC Light Trap with Light, without light, and the WAMO configuration) in field locations within a La Crosse virus (LACV) endemic area. A second study was conducted using a 4 x 4 x 4 x 4 Latin-square design in Vero Beach, FL. In this study, we used a standard CDC light trap and three WAMO configurations: no additional lure, BG Sweetscent lures (chemical lure), and HotHands 18-Hour Hand Warmers (thermal lure). All traps in both studies were baited with CO2.

Our results indicate that the WAMO light trap captures a similar species richness to the CDC light trap with light installed, but that the CDC light trap still leads in average capture abundance in the LACV endemic area. Non-target richness, however, is lower in the WAMO compared to the CDC light trap. In the Vero Beach study, preliminary analyses suggest that the WAMO light trap does capture more mosquitoes. This is particularly true when the WAMO light trap is baited with both CO2 and a thermal lure. Species-specific (mosquito) and non-target capture rates will be presented in the context of the utility of the WAMO as an adjunct for mosquito surveillance.