COMPARING THE EFFICIENCY OF DIFFERENT CARBON DIOXIDE SOURCES IN COLLECTING MOSQUITO VECTOR SPECIES ON THE TEMPE CAMPUS OF ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY

We compared the effectiveness of 4 different carbon dioxide (CO₂) sources (sugar-fermented BG-CO₂, sugar-fermented Fleischmann yeast, dry ice, and compressed gas cylinders) in attracting different mosquito species in 2 separate 4 3 4 Latin square trials. The CO₂ generated by dry ice and the gas cylinders collected more Culex quinquefasciatus than the sugar-fermented BG-CO₂ and Fleischmann yeasts during the 1st trial (16-h surveillance periods), but there was no significant difference in Aedes aegypti numbers. There were no significant differences between the different CO₂ sources in collecting Cx. quinquefasciatus and Ae. aegypti mosquitoes in the 2nd trial (24-h surveillance periods). Catches for Culiseta inornata and Cx. tarsalis were too low in both experiments for formal statistical analysis. Data can be used to inform local mosquito surveillance programs, but the selection of a CO₂ source will also depend on financial and logistical constraints.