| Issue № 3 |
Methods of ecological investigations |
pdf-version |
A trap-biocenometer for collecting imago of male blood-sucking mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae)A trap for collecting adult male mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae)
| Panyukova Elena Viktorovna | PhD, Institute of Biology, Komi Federal Scientific Center, RAS, 28, Kommunisticheskaya St., Syktyvkar, Komi Republic, 167982, Russia, panykova_lena@mail.ru |
| Mirzaeva Agnia Grigoryevna | PhD, Institute of Systematics and Ecology of Animals, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 11, Frunze St., Novosibirsk, 630091, Russia, agny01@mail.ru |
|
Keywords: collection methods control methods trap-biocenometer adult males Culicidae |
Summary: The aim of this study was to develop a method for mass collection of live adult male mosquitoes (family Culicidae) as a promising approach to population control. The article describes the design and principle of operation of a surface trap-biocenometer designed for qualitative and quantitative sampling of insects associated with the aquatic environment. The trap consists of a 52 × 52 cm wooden frame (made of 2 cm wide slats) and a fabric cover mounted on the frame to hold the imago. The trap covers an area of 0.25 m² of water surface. Depending on the size of the water body, it is possible to use several traps at the same time. Experiments on collecting imago males were conducted in the last decade of May and early June in the period from 2024 to 2026 in two temporary spring reservoirs: a protected forest reservoir and an open meadow reservoir. At each site, trapping was carried out for three days, and insect samples were collected in the morning. Live adults were immobilized using a container with snow (in 2025) and chemical refrigerants (in 2024 and 2026). A total of 18 samples were taken, during which 726 imago males were collected, 504 of them were obtained from a forest reservoir. The average rate of trapping imago males using a biocenometer trap in a closed forest reservoir was 37 ± 3 individuals (2024), 32 ± 1 individuals (2025) and 12 ± 1 individuals (2026) per 1 m2 of water surface. In an open pond located in a meadow, the average catch rate was three times lower: 7 ± 2 (2024), 5 ± 1 (2025) and 2 ± 1 (2026) imago males per 1 m2 of water surface. The use of the biocenometer trap resulted in a decrease in the number of mosquitoes in the studied water bodies; therefore, it can be considered as a means of mechanical control of the mosquito population. It should be mentioned that the trap was designed and made of available materials.
The aim of this study was to develop a method for mass collection of live adult male mosquitoes (family Culicidae) as a promising approach to population control. The article describes the design and principle of operation of a surface trap-biocenometer designed for qualitative and quantitative sampling of insects associated with the aquatic environment. The trap consists of a 52 × 52 cm wooden frame (made of 2 cm wide slats) and a fabric cover mounted on the frame to hold the imago. The trap covers an area of 0.25 m² of water surface. Depending on the size of the water body, it is possible to use several traps at the same time. Experiments on collecting imago males were conducted in the last decade of May and early June in the period from 2024 to 2026 in two temporary spring reservoirs: a protected forest reservoir and an open meadow reservoir. At each site, trapping was carried out for three days, and insect samples were collected in the morning. Live adults were immobilized using a container with snow (in 2025) and chemical refrigerants (in 2024 and 2026). A total of 18 samples were taken, during which 726 imago males were collected, 504 of them were obtained from a forest reservoir. The average rate of trapping imago males using a biocenometer trap in a closed forest reservoir was 37 ± 3 individuals (2024), 32 ± 1 individuals (2025) and 12 ± 1 individuals (2026) per 1 m2 of water surface. In an open pond located in a meadow, the average catch rate was three times lower: 7 ± 2 (2024), 5 ± 1 (2025) and 2 ± 1 (2026) imago males per 1 m² of water surface. The use of the biocenometer trap resulted in a decrease in the number of mosquitoes in the studied water bodies; therefore, it can be considered as a means of mechanical control of the mosquito population. It should be mentioned that the trap was designed and made of available materials. The aim of this study was to develop a method for mass collection of live adult male mosquitoes (family Culicidae) as a promising approach to population control. The article describes the design and principle of operation of a surface trap - biocenometer designed for qualitative and quantitative sampling of insects associated with the aquatic environment. The trap consists of a 52 × 52 cm wooden frame (made of 2 cm wide slats) and a fabric cover mounted on the frame to hold the imago. The trap covers an area of 0.25 m² of water surface. Depending on the size of the water body, it is possible to use several traps at the same time. Experiments on collecting imago males were conducted in the last decade of May and early June in the period from 2024 to 2026 in two temporary spring reservoirs: a protected forest reservoir and an open meadow reservoir. At each site, trapping was carried out for three days, and insect samples were collected in the morning. Live adults were immobilized using a container with snow (in 2025) and chemical refrigerants (in 2024 and 2026). A total of 18 samples were taken, during which 726 imago males were collected, 504 of them were obtained from a forest reservoir. The average rate of trapping imago males using a biocenometer trap in a closed forest reservoir was 37 ± 3 individuals (2024), 32 ± 1 individuals (2025) and 12 ± 1 individuals (2026) per 1 m2 of water surface. In an open pond located in a meadow, the average catch rate was three times lower: 7 ± 2 (2024), 5 ± 1 (2025) and 2 ± 1 (2026) imago males per 1 m2 of water surface. The use of the biocenometer trap resulted in a decrease in the number of mosquitoes in the studied water bodies; therefore, it can be considered as a means of mechanical control of the mosquito population. It should be mentioned that the trap was designed and made of available materials. © Petrozavodsk State University |
Received on: 29 June 2026 Published on: 29 September 2026 | |
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