Estimation and comparison of mosquito survival rates with release-recapture-removal data

Methods for the estimation and comparison of survival rates are considered when data arises from a release of individuals followed by a sequence of recaptures, with recaptured individuals removed from the population. It is shown that commonly used methods based on linear regression of the log of recapture numbers versus time can lead to substantial errors if individuals are removed from the population. A general nonlinear regression approach is proposed combined with bootstrap techniques for obtaining confidence intervals and tests of hypotheses. Simulations demonstrate that these techniques perform well using data from an Aedes aegypit L. mark-release-recapture study in Thailand.