Istraživanje kapaciteta staništa za ovipoziciju jaja poplavnih komaraca na poplavnom prostoru Dunava i Drave, Hrvatska

Floodwater mosquitoes lay their eggs on dry ground where water will eventuallyflood the area. By flooding the area and submerging the eggs of floodwater mosquitoes, the development of larvae begins. For a gravid female mosquito, the mostimportant thing is choosing the place where to lay eggs. As part of this research,which was conducted in April and May 2022, soil and leaf samples were taken on anarea of 50 x 50 cm from different altitudes in the area of Dunavac near Ilok (Danube)and Halaševo near Osijek (Drava) in order to determine at which altitude, the largestnumber of eggs are laid. Collected soil was submerged in the laboratory for the purpose of further mosquito development. Part of the larvae was preserved in alcohol,and part of larvae was left to develop into adults, after which species determinationwas carried out. A large difference was found in the potential of breeding sites in thefloodplain of the Drava and Danube, and the number of collected eggs ranged from0 to 66 per sample. The number of individuals sampled in the Danube area was 53,and in the Drava area 133. The individuals sampled in the researched areas weredetermined as Aedes vexans and Aedes sticticus. A large difference in oviposition wasfound in the floodplain of the Danube, while in the floodplain of the Drava, this levelis significantly higher.