Abstract: La Crosse Encephalitis is endemic in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area, with Aedes triseriatus serving as the primary vector. Effective vector surveillance is essential for accurate risk assessment and targeted mosquito control efforts, and surveillance for this species can be challenging
Since the mid-1980s, the Metropolitan Mosquito Control District (MMCD) has used a vacuum aspirator as part of its strategy to prevent La Crosse encephalitis. Effective vector surveillance is essential for accurate risk assessment and targeted mosquito control efforts. Currently, MMCD employs this tool to collect mosquito samples from daytime resting sites in harborage areas.
The original design of the vacuum aspirator was based on a model developed by Roger Nasci in 1981. MMCD has since refined the device—internally referred to as the “Sucomatic”—on two occasions: first in the late 1990s and again in 2020. The latest iteration of the Sucomatic offers improved efficiency and ease of use for field staff, and it remains a vital component of MMCD’s vector surveillance and control program.
