Dr. Jimmie K. Olson, medical entomologist at Texas A&M, sampled mosquitoes using three types of traps. EVS Light traps are encephalitis vector survey (EVS) traps that are baited with carbon dioxide. The CDC Gravid Trap was developed by Dr. Paul Reiter of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control to collect gravid Culex mosquitoes. For this reason, this trap is particularly good for collecting virus-positive mosquitoes. Although the Standard New Jersey and other light traps will capture these mosquitoes, the specimens are almost all nulliparous and therefore less likely to be infected. The CDC trap attracts mosquitoes with white light and captures them with the down draft produced by a motor and fan. The CDC light trap performed far better than the others at this locality.
Dr. Olson knew there was a big shallow pond with lots of emergent aquatic vegetation nearby after he made his first mosquito sample. The presence of Coquillettidia(=Mansonia) perturbans told him this. Sure enough, just over the hillside was a beaver pond on a small creek that made perfect Coquillettidia habitat. The larvae of these mosquitoes do not come to the surface to breathe. They tap into the submerged parts of emergent aquatic vegetation for air.
EVS Light Trap Sample
| Species | Number of Specimens |
|---|---|
| Aedes sticticus | 3 |
| Aedes triseriatus | 1 |
| Aedes vexans | 3 |
| Coquillettidia(=Mansonia) perturbans | 3 |
| Culex salinarius | 1 |
Gravid Trap Sample
| Species | Number of Specimens |
|---|---|
| Aedes sticticus | 2 |
| Coquillettidia(=Mansonia) perturbans | 3 |
CDC Light Trap Sample
| Species | Number of Specimens |
|---|---|
| Aedes atlanticus/tormentor | 2 |
| Aedes muelleri (?) | 8 |
| Aedes sticticus | 29 |
| Aedes triseriatus | 3 |
| Aedes vexans | 115 |
| Anopheles crucians | 8 |
| Anopheles punctipennis | 2 |
| Coquillettidia(=Mansonia) perturbans | 4 |
| Culex salinarius | 2 |
| Psorophora ferox | 1 |