This up-to-date checklist of the mosquitoes of the Bahamas includes 8 genera and 34 species. Three species new to the Bahamas are Culex chidesteri, Culex bisulcatus, and Psorophora insularia. The status of Culex antillummagnorum in the Bahamas is discussed. Keys to the adult females and fourth-stage larvae are given.

A mosquito faunistic survey conducted during 1999–2005 in 7 different states of the northeastern (NE) region of India revealed that the region is very rich in mosquito fauna, particularly of the genus Aedes. From the present survey and earlier published reports, a total of 48 species of Aedes and a related genus Verrallina were recorded. The state of Assam contributed the highest number of species compared to the other 6 states, namely Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Tripura. Larvae of 46 species were collected from 16 different habitats and for some species the habitats were species specific. The known dengue vectors, Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus, were recorded from all 7 states, although Ae. aegypti was not known earlier from Mizoram, Nagaland, and Tripura states. Aedes albotaeniatus was a new addition to the Aedes fauna of the region.

Dry ice–baited light traps, counts of mosquitoes biting and landing on technicians, and larval surveillance were used to determine mosquito species abundance on Annette Key, Little Knockemdown Key, Little Pine Key, Raccoon Key, and the Water Keys, all of which are located offshore, within the National Key Deer Refuge and Great White Heron National Wildlife Refuge in Monroe County, FL. Due to the close proximity of these wilderness islands to the inhabited islands of the Florida Keys, it is important to understand the abundance and composition of the mosquitoes and the effects they may have on populations on inhabited islands. Thirty different species were collected during 2004–2008. Aedes taeniorhynchus, the black salt-marsh mosquito, was the most abundant mosquito species collected at all locations. Other mosquitoes collected in large numbers at all locations were Anopheles atropos, Culex bahamensis, Cx. nigripalpus, and Deinocerites cancer. Because these wilderness islands are difficult to traverse due to vegetative growth, the placement of mosquito traps close to the perimeter of the islands may influence assessment of the abundance and diversity of mosquito species collected on each island.

Effective and economical control of adult vector and pest mosquitoes requires knowledge of their seasonal abundance and host-seeking activity patterns. We conducted research in 2006–2007 to study these variables for Culex tarsalis, Aedes vexans, Ae. melanimon, and Ae. dorsalis in Larimer County, CO. Mosquitoes were collected with traps that segregated catches in 7 consecutive 2-h intervals initiating at 1730 h at 4 sites. Seasonal abundance varied for all species by site and year. Time of host-seeking activity was consistent for all species by site and year. Culex tarsalis counts were significantly higher 1.2–4.5 h after sunset than during the preceding time intervals. Maximum host-seeking activity of the 3 Aedes species occurred from 0.8 h before sunset to 6.5 h after. Host seeking by all species continued throughout the night. For optimal control of Cx. tarsalis adulticide application should start approximately 1 h after sunset, and control of Aedes species should begin soon after sunset, and for all species applications can continue throughout most of the night.

Patterns of seasonal variation in the relative abundance of immature Culex mosquitoes in wastewater ponds at dairies located in 2 different regions of peninsular Florida were compared. Culex nigripalpus and Cx. quinquefasciatus were by far the most common mosquitoes collected during the study (99,344 and 106,225 individuals, respectively). Within-station differences in abundance of Cx. nigripalpus and Cx. quinquefasciatus were evident depending upon time of year. There were also between-station differences in the abundances of the 2 species depending upon time of year and station. Environmental and behavioral factors are implicated in some of the observed differences. We discuss mosquito control options for dairy ponds as well as possible impacts of mosquito production from these areas to humans and to animal health and production.

An optical insect counter (OIC) was designed and tested. The new system integrated a line-scan camera and a vertical light sheet along with data collection and image-processing software to count flying insects crossing a vertical plane defined by the light sheet. The system also discriminates each insect by its position along the horizontal length defined by the light sheet. The system was successfully tested with a preliminary experimental protocol for determining whether groups of flying mosquitoes preferred or avoided attractants and repellents in a flight tunnel. The OIC counted the number of mosquitoes that crossed the light sheet and recorded the horizontal position and time each insect passed through the light sheet. The system provides a straightforward and reliable method for measuring and recording spatial and temporal information for insects that pass through an established plane.

To control West Nile Virus in the greater Toronto area of Ontario, Canada, S-methoprene (Altosid® XRbriquets 2.1% AI) is applied each year to storm water catch basins. Because the efficacy of the XRbriquets to reduce adult mosquito populations had not been evaluated locally and was influenced by organic debris in a pilot study, we compared the efficacy of the briquets in 17 sediment and debris-filled catch basins versus 20 catch basins that were vacuumed free of debris. Emergence rates approached 100% in the 5 untreated control catch basins. Emergence rates were significantly lower, and S-methoprene was detected more often and at higher levels, in debris-filled basins versus cleaned catch basins. Overall, 20% of pupae emerged from clean catch basins versus only 3% from debris-filled ones, the difference between treatments becoming significant after 26 days. S-methoprene and total organic carbon concentrations in the catch basins were positively correlated (P < 0.001). We hypothesize that S-methoprene is binding to the organic fraction in the water and sediment in the debris-filled basins, prolonging S-methoprene doses, which are reflected in lower mosquito emergence rates.

Ultra-low-volume (ULV) and thermal fog aerosol dispersals of pesticides have been used against mosquitoes and other insects for half a century. Although each spray technology has advantages and disadvantages, only 7 studies have been identified that directly compare their performance in the field. US military personnel currently operating in hot-arid environments are impacted by perpetual nuisance and disease vector insect problems, despite adulticide operations using modern pesticide-delivery equipment such as ULV. None of the identified comparative studies has looked at the relative feasibility and efficacy of ULV and thermal fog equipment against mosquitoes in hot-arid environments. In this study we examine the impact of ULV and thermal fog applications of malathion against caged sentinel mosquitoes in the field in a warm temperate area of Florida, followed by a similar test in a hot-dry desert area of southern California. Patterns of mortality throughout 150 m × 150 m grids of sentinel mosquitoes indicate greater efficacy from the thermal fog application in both environments under suboptimal ambient weather conditions. We discuss the implications of these findings for future military preventive medicine activities and encourage further investigations into the relative merits of the 2 technologies for force health protection.

Efforts to improve water quality increasingly rely on structural stormwater best management practices (BMPs) to remove pollutants from urban runoff. These structures can unintentionally produce mosquitoes and may play a role in the spread of mosquito-borne diseases. A questionnaire was distributed to over 300 stormwater and mosquito control agencies in the United States to assess the prevalence of BMPs and associated mosquito production, identify current measures to control mosquitoes within BMPs, and elucidate the extent of collaboration between these agencies. Responses suggest that agencies often lack basic information relevant to minimizing mosquitoes in BMPs, such as the number of structures within an agency's jurisdiction and the frequency of their maintenance, and that greater interagency collaboration could improve control efforts. Approximately 40% of agencies reported regular collaboration to minimize mosquito production in BMPs; however, barriers to such collaborative work included confusion over roles and responsibilities and a lack of interest. The rapid increase of BMPs in urban environments resulting from increasingly stringent water-quality regulations provides justification for increased collaboration between stormwater and mosquito control sectors of government to aid and strengthen public health efforts.

The eggs of Aedes scapularis analyzed by scanning electron microscopy are black and elliptical in outline, measuring approximately 620.4 ± 16.74 µm long and 163.7 ± 16.90 µm (n  =  10) wide, with an egg index (length/width ratio) of 3.79. The anterior extremity tapered abruptly from a width of 51.6 µm, while such tapering was more gradual at the posterior extremity, from a width of 61.4 µm. The ventral surface of the chorionic coating presented cells with a tubular aspect containing tubercles in rows at a density of 5 to 9 per cell with 2 different sizes, the largest measuring 7.23 ± 0.98 µm in a longitudinal diameter and the smallest 4.15 ± 0.53 µm (n  =  30). In the dorsal region, the external chorionic reticulum had a porous appearance, and its thickness ranged from 2.5 to 4.1 µm. Isolated tubercles presented wide variation per cell. In the central region of some chorionic cells were tubercles of greater diameter, characterized as central tubercles of 8.45 ± 0.67 µm, and around them 3 to 5 smaller tubercles measuring 2.57 ± 0.26 µm. The micropylar apparatus presented a collar with a very evident molding and edges with defined margins for the transition area and a thickness of around 11.1 µm. The micropyle disc margins were raised, measuring around 17.8 µm in diameter and 229 µm in circumference. The micropyle orifice was very evident, with a diameter of 1.41 µm.

Data on molecularly identified adult and larval mosquitoes collected from 104 sites from the Republic of Korea (ROK) in 2007 were used to test the predictive ability of recently reported ecological niche models (ENMs) for 8 potential malaria vectors. The ENMs, based on the program Maxent and the least presence threshold criterion, predicted 100% of new collection locations for Anopheles sinensis, An. belenrae, An. pullus, and An. sineroides; 96% of locations for An. kleini; and 83% for An. lesteri, but were relatively unsuccessful for the infrequently collected non-Hyrcanus group species An. koreicus and An. lindesayi japonicas. The ENMs produced with the use of Maxent had fewer omission errors than those using the Genetic Algorithm for Rule-Set Prediction program. The results emphasize the importance of independent test data for validation and improvement of ENMs, and lend support for the further development of ENMs for predicting the distribution of malaria vectors in the ROK.

We report the development of universal primers for the reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) amplification and nucleotide sequence analysis of actin cDNAs from taxonomically diverse mosquito species. Primers specific to conserved regions of the invertebrate actin-1 gene were designed after actin cDNA sequences of Anopheles gambiae, Bombyx mori, Drosophila melanogaster, and Caenorhabditis elegans. The efficacy of these primers was determined by RT-PCR with the use of total RNA from mosquitoes belonging to 30 species and 8 genera (Aedes, Anopheles, Culex, Deinocerites, Mansonia, Psorophora, Toxorhynchites, and Wyeomyia). The RT-PCR products were sequenced, and sequence data were used to design additional primers. One primer pair, denoted as Act-2F (5′-ATGGTCGGYATGGGNCAGAAGGACTC-3′) and Act-8R (5′-GATTCCATACCCAGGAAGGADGG-3′), successfully amplified an RT-PCR product of the expected size (683-nt) in all mosquito spp. tested. We propose that this primer pair can be used as an internal control to test the quality of RNA from mosquitoes collected in vector surveillance studies. These primers can also be used in molecular experiments in which the detection, amplification or silencing of a ubiquitously expressed mosquito housekeeping gene is necessary. Sequence and phylogenetic data are also presented in this report.

DUET™ was evaluated against field-collected mosquito populations in St. John's County, FL, under laboratory and field conditions. Ten serial dilutions ranging from 22 to 2.2E^-08 µg/ml of the product were tested against Aedes albopictus, Ae. taeniorhynchus, Culex quinquefasciatus, and Psorophora columbiae. At 0.0022 µg/ml, 100% mortality was recorded for all species except for Cx. quinquefasciatus. The 50% lethal concentration value for Cx. quinquefasciatus was 0.0029 µg/ml (CI  =  0.00069 to 0.013). At the lowest dilution (2.2E-08 µg/ml) evaluated, Ae. albopictus, Ae. taeniorhynchus, and Ps. columbiae showed >50% mortality. Ground ultralow-volume application of DUET resulted in overall average mortality of 87% of field-collected Cx. quinquefasciatus mosquitoes. There was a significant difference in mortality based on the distance of the caged mosquitoes (P < 0.05). However, mortality was >70% at the farthest distance from the application (106 m).

The impact of bifenthrin on honeybees, Apis mellifera (Hymenoptera: Apidae) was evaluated in both laboratory and semifield assays. Ten serial dilutions of bifenthrin and an acetone control using the bottle bioassay protocol were used in the laboratory to determine killing time after 15-, 30-, and 60-min honeybee exposure. Both dose and exposure time significantly affected honeybee mortality (df  =  6, F  =  10.9, P < 0.05). Application dose of 35 µg/ml resulted in 100% bee mortality at all time intervals. Bifenthrin was applied at 9.7 ml/liter, 19.5 ml/liter, and 29.5 ml/liter of water to common landscape vegetation, Melampodium paludosum Melanie (show star) and Duranta erecta L. (golden dewdrop); a water control was also used. Bee mortality was significantly higher (P < 0.05, df  =  2, F  =  20.8) at 29.5 ml/liter compared to the mortality at 19.5-ml/liter and 9.7-ml/liter application rates after 24-h exposure to the treated vegetation. Mortality of Culex quinquefasciatus exposed to treated vegetation was significantly (P < 0.05, df  =  10, F  =  114) different by week and by application rate.

This study determined whether the addition of a CO₂ nozzle made specifically for the BG-Sentinel™ trap increased the efficacy of collecting host-seeking mosquitoes, particularly Aedes albopictus and Culex spp., which includes Cx. pipiens, Cx. restuans, and occasionally Cx. salinarius in Fairfax County, VA. Twenty BG-Sentinel traps were incorporated into the Fairfax County West Nile virus (WNV) surveillance program: 10 traps were randomly selected each week to have the nozzle attached, and the remaining 10 traps were without the nozzle. The BG-Sentinel traps collected 20 mosquito species with the nozzle and 19 mosquito species without the nozzle. The traps with the nozzle collected 46.58 (SE 3.236) mosquitoes per 24-h trap-period and the traps without the nozzle collected 46.73 (SE 2.942) mosquitoes per 24-h trap-period, and no significant difference (P > 0.05) was found. There was no significant difference (P > 0.05) in the collection of Aedes albopictus, Culex spp., Anopheles punctipennis, Ae. vexans, and Aedes triseriatus between the traps with or without the nozzle. Other mosquito species were collected in low numbers and statistical analysis was not performed. Both the traps with and without the nozzle collected WNV-infected Aedes albopictus and Culex spp.

A supporting stand to suspend rotating impactors and mosquito cages is a requirement for field tests during pesticide efficacy trials. We present schematics for a collection device and associated support system for sampling droplets of ultra-low-volume (ULV) sprays during mosquito adulticide applications. This system offers the advantages of cost efficiency, increased ease of deployment, off-season storage, visibility, stability, and ULV collection efficacy. Use of this system ensures that droplet collection and meteorological equipment is at appropriate and consistent heights between trials. The 2 arms of the support allow for placement of multiple cages, light-emitting or reflecting devices, and wind-indicating ribbons to be attached to the station. The support described makes possible deployment of stations over a wider variety of terrains, increasing the extent of field trials. Presentation of the simple design and fabrication of the rotating collection device (impactor), T-station, and its support is provided.