Which sampling method for adults is selective for resting mosquitoes?

Which sampling method for adults is selective for resting mosquitoes?

• A. Red box
• B. New Jersey light trap
• C. CO2 trap
• D. Gravid trap

Answer: (A)

Resting mosquitoes are those that have already taken a blood meal and are settled in sheltered spots during the day. To sample them effectively, you need a trap that serves as an artificial resting site and attracts mosquitoes in their resting state, not those actively searching for a meal. A red box resting trap is designed for this purpose: it provides a dark, protected, and humid-like place where mosquitoes will come to rest, and then can be collected from the box. This makes it selective for resting individuals, giving a snapshot of the population that isn’t currently host-seeking. In contrast, CO2 traps and light traps lure mosquitoes that are actively looking for a blood meal, so they sample host-seeking mosquitoes rather than resting ones, including many non-resting individuals. The gravid trap targets females that have already laid eggs and are seeking another oviposition site, not resting females. Because the goal here is to capture resting mosquitoes specifically, the resting box approach best fits that purpose.

Resting mosquitoes are those that have already taken a blood meal and are settled in sheltered spots during the day. To sample them effectively, you need a trap that serves as an artificial resting site and attracts mosquitoes in their resting state, not those actively searching for a meal. A red box resting trap is designed for this purpose: it provides a dark, protected, and humid-like place where mosquitoes will come to rest, and then can be collected from the box. This makes it selective for resting individuals, giving a snapshot of the population that isn’t currently host-seeking.

In contrast, CO2 traps and light traps lure mosquitoes that are actively looking for a blood meal, so they sample host-seeking mosquitoes rather than resting ones, including many non-resting individuals. The gravid trap targets females that have already laid eggs and are seeking another oviposition site, not resting females. Because the goal here is to capture resting mosquitoes specifically, the resting box approach best fits that purpose.