The Attractiveness of the Gravid Aedes Trap to Dengue Vectors in Fiji

The Gravid Aedes Trap (GAT) is a passive trap that relies on visual and olfactory cues to lure and capture gravid mosquitoes. The GAT was designed as a dengue vector surveillance tool for use in conditions where power sources are not readily available. Experiments were conducted over a 10-d period in Fiji to determine which species of mosquitoes the GAT would collect, how different infusion types affect the attractiveness of the trap, how long each infusion type took to begin attracting mosquitoes, and how long the infusion was attractive to container breeding Aedes mosquitoes. Infusions were created by adding 10 g of organic material to 2 liters of water. Infusions were made using chicken feed pellets, dried mango leaves (Mangifera indica), and dried lawn grasses (primarily Axonopus spp.). The GAT collected four different vectors Aedes aegypti (Linnaeus) (Diptera: Culicidae), Aedes albopictus (Skuse) (Diptera: Culicidae), Aedes polynesiensis Mark (Diptera: Culicidae), and Culex quinquefasciatus Say (Diptera: Culicidae). As observed in previous studies, using some type of organic infusion improved the attractiveness of the trap. Of the three different infusion components tested, chicken feed was most attractive followed by lawn grasses and mango leaves. All infusions performed better than plain water. Chicken feed was found to be most attractive for Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus during the first 6 d after placing the traps and for Cx. quinquifasciatus in days 7-9. The mango and grass infusions took longer to attract mosquitoes but were most attractive during days 7-10 for all species.