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Determining Temperature Preference of Mosquitoes and Other Ectotherms
Published on: September 28, 2022
Nesting bird "host funnel" increases mosquito-bird contact rate
Kevin A Caillouët1, Anna E Riggan, Lesley P Bulluck
1Department of Biology, Virginia Commonwealth University, 1000 W. Cary St., Richmond, VA 23284-2012, USA. kacaillouet@vcu.edu
Journal of Medical Entomology
|April 2, 2013
Summary
Mosquitoes seeking bird bloodmeals increased dramatically as the nesting season ended, creating a "host funnel." This concentration of mosquitoes may amplify arboviruses like West Nile virus.
Area of Science:
- Vector-borne disease ecology
- Arthropod-borne viral disease transmission
Background:
- Increases in vector-host contact rates are linked to enhanced arbovirus transmission.
- Understanding mosquito feeding patterns on avian hosts is crucial for predicting arbovirus outbreaks.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate weekly fluctuations in contact rates between mosquitoes and nesting birds.
- To evaluate the efficacy of the Nest Mosquito Trap (NMT) for sampling avian-seeking mosquitoes.
- To assess the potential impact of host funnels on arbovirus amplification.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the Nest Mosquito Trap (NMT) to quantify mosquito-nestling contact rates.
- Compared mosquito species abundance in NMTs with CO2-baited CDC light and gravid traps.
- Analyzed temporal trends in mosquito abundance and nesting bird availability.
Main Results:
- Mosquitoes per nestling increased significantly in the final two weeks of the avian nesting season.
- Aedes albopictus and Culex pipiens/restuans disproportionately targeted nesting birds compared to other traps.
- Culex salinarius and Culex erraticus abundances in NMTs reflected their general population distribution.
Conclusions:
- The end of the avian nesting season coincides with increased mosquito abundance, creating a "host funnel" effect.
- This "host funnel" concentrates host-seeking mosquitoes on remaining nestlings, potentially increasing arbovirus amplification.
- Nesting bird host specificity and temporal host funnels may explain West Nile virus and St. Louis encephalitis virus amplification periods.
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