Effect of mosquito lures and location types on the abundance of mosquitoes collected using Black Hole light traps at different collection periods.

Abstract

Mosquito-borne diseases are considered a concern by the Ministry of Public Health, Thailand. Carbon dioxide (CO2)- and host-odor-based lures have been evaluated individually for their effectiveness in attracting mosquitoes. This study addressed a gap in mosquito surveillance by comparing 3 potential lures (yeast-generated CO2, BG-lure, and KU-lure) with UV-LED light traps at Kasetsart University, Bangkok, considering the effects of location types and collection periods. Over 48 trap-nights, a total of 1,713 mosquitoes were collected across 4 subsites (2 per location type: recreational park and residential area). Genus-level identification revealed the dominance of Culex (85.40%) and Aedes (13.60%). A generalized linear mixed model (GLMM) with a negative binomial distribution revealed that mosquito catch fluctuations were driven by spatial heterogeneity across subsites and temporal variation across nights. Among treatments, yeast-generated CO2 was the most effective, accounting for 49.21% of collections, with a catch rate ratio nearly 3-fold higher than the light trap alone (Exp (B) = 2.912, P < 0.001). Conversely, the BG-lure and KU-lure did not differ significantly from the control. Results for Cx. quinquefasciatus, the dominant species, were similar; both the trap lure and collection period significantly influenced the species abundance, whereas location type had no significant effect. Yeast-generated CO2 significantly enhanced light-trap captures (Exp (B) = 2.273, P < 0.001), whereas BG-lure and KU-lure did not differ from the control. Culex quinquefasciatus abundance increased throughout the night, peaking during 2 AM to 6 AM. Yeast-generated CO2 attracted the most mosquitoes across all treatments. This study provides evidence for lure selection in light-trap-based mosquito surveillance, supporting vector control efforts in Thailand.