FIELD COMPARISON OF CARBON DIOXIDE SOURCE WITH BIOGENTS SENTINEL-2 AND PRO TRAPS FOR ADULT AEDES MOSQUITO SURVEILLANCE

The BG Sentinel-2 (BGS-2) and BG-Pro traps (BGS-2 configuration) were compared for their effectiveness to collect Aedes vectors and related nuisance mosquitoes in north central Florida during 2022. Traps were baited with either dry ice pellets, pressurized carbon dioxide (CO2) gas, or the novel BG yeast-derived CO2 generator. Additionally, each trap was fitted with the BG Sweetscent lure. Sixteen species were collected including Aedes albopictus and Ae. aegypti, which accounted for about 20% of the collections. The BGS-2 collected more mosquitoes compared to the BGPro, but the relative percent abundance of each species to total collection from each trap type was similar. Overall mosquito abundance was significantly greater in both trap types baited with dry ice compared with the other CO(2 )sources. Significantly more Ae. albopictus were collected from BGS-2 traps baited with dry ice than all other CO(2 )and trap configurations. Lastly, we did not observe any significant differences in Ae. aegypti abundance between trap type or CO2 source.