Socioeconomic Status Affects Mosquito (Diptera: Culicidae) Larval Habitat Type Availability and Infestation Level

Abstract

Mosquito populations are largely regulated by processes occurring at the larval stage. We sampled mosquito larval microhabitats (mostly water-holding containers) in six neighborhoods in the Washington, DC, area that varied in socioeconomic status (SES) and housing structure (row houses vs. stand-alone houses) to test associations among these neighborhood characteristics, microhabitat abundance and parameters, and mosquito occurrence and densities. Thirty-four percent (33.9%) of sampled microhabitats contained mosquito larvae, and 93.1% of larvae were Aedes albopictus Skuse or Culex pipiens L. Five specific container types (drains, corrugated flexible drainpipes, planters, garbage cans, and buckets) accounted for the majority of water-holding (56.0%) and mosquito-positive (50.6%) microhabitats sampled. We found no associations between SES or housing structure with total microhabitat abundance per yard, mosquito occurrence or mosquito densities per microhabitat. In contrast, container purpose varied with SES, with low SES neighborhoods having greater numbers of disused containers and lower numbers of functional containers than low and medium SES neighborhoods. Ae. albopictus were 83% more abundant in disused containers, whereas Cx. pipiens were more abundant in structural and functional containers, possibly owing to species-specific oviposition and development related to water quality. Ae. albopictus densities increased over the summer, whereas Cx. pipiens densities remained constant. Ae. albopictus is usually the dominant pest in urban areas in the eastern United States; therefore, integrated mosquito management programs should incorporate the elimination of disused containers to reduce its infestation and adult production, especially in low SES neighborhoods where they occur most frequently.

Modeling the distribution of the West Nile and Rift Valley Fever vector Culex pipiens in arid and semi-arid regions of the Middle East and North Africa

“…pipiens in general have identified rainfall, temperature, and vegetation to be major drivers of population distribution [25,26]. Density of hosts has also been found to be significantly correlated with habitat suitability in related species [27]. However, these studies were largely conducted in different climatic regions than those dominant in the MENA region, and therefore the identified predictors would not necessarily explain vector distributions in arid and semi-arid regions.…”

Photoperiodic Diapause and the Establishment ofAedes albopictus(Diptera: Culicidae) in North America

“…Since its establishment in 1985, Ae. albopictus has become one of the most abundant container-breeding mosquitoes in many suburban and urban areas of eastern North America (Farajollahi and Nelder 2009, Dowling et al 2013, Unlu et al 2013. Aedes albopictus is a significant biting pest (Halasa et al 2012, Unlu et al 2013, and local infestations can impact human behaviors such as time spent on outdoor activities (Worobey et al 2013, Halasa et al 2014.…”

Defining the risk of Zika and chikungunya virus transmission in human population centers of the eastern United States

“…albopictus. Studies confirm high densities and growing populations of this species across the eastern U.S. and as far north as New York [31][32][33]. A second necessary condition is that the female Ae.…”