Field Comparison of Novel and Gold Standard Traps for Collecting Aedes albopictus in Northern Virginia

Aedes albopictus is a potential West Nile virus bridge vector in Northern Virginia; however, information regarding its virus transmission dynamics is limited, as this species is not readily collected in existing traps. This study used 5 replicates of a 5 x 5 Latin square to evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of 2 novel host-seeking mosquito traps (the BG-Sentinel and the Collapsible Mosquito Trap (CMT-20) in collecting Ae. albopictus, relative to a carbon dioxide (CO2)-baited Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) miniature light trap. When used with CO2, the BG-Sentinel (with BG-Lure) collected 33 times more female Ae. albopictus per 24-h trapping period than did the CO2-baited CDC light trap. Without CO2, the BG-Sentinel (with BG-Lure) still collected over 6 times as many female Ae. albopictus as the CO2-baited CDC trap. Both configurations of the BG-Sentinel were significantly more effective than the other traps. The BG-Sentinel was also significantly more efficient in collecting Ae. albopictus and collected a high proportion of this species, both with CO2 and without CO2. The CMT-20 (with SkinLure) collected significantly more Ae. albopictus when used with CO2 than without CO2, but did not collect significantly more Ae. albopictus than the CO2-baited CDC light trap. The proportion of Ae. albopictus collected in the CMT-20 with CO2 and without CO2 did not differ significantly from the proportion of Ae. albopictus collected in the CDC trap.