Abstract: Mobile Insectaries: Mosquitos “On the Go”
Many mosquito control companies and programs have permanent insectaries to maintain mosquito colonies in a stable environment for mosquito control product trials and resistance research. As resistance monitoring becomes more critical to managing the useful life of mosquito control tools, field scientists and mosquito control districts see an increase in mosquito populations needed for laboratory testing and field trial work to assess and validate product performance. For field trial work, in particular, the rearing and handling of mosquitos often need to happen “on the go,” which is far more challenging and less productive than in permanent insectary settings.
To counter these challenges, Clarke’s biology and insectary teams have developed and vetted a set of guidelines for setting up mobile insectaries for in-field rearing of three common vector mosquito species: Aedes aegypti, Culex quinquefasciatus, and Anopheles quadrimaculatus. This presentation will share the experience of the field science team responsible for creating this mobile insectary blueprint, highlight the challenges and best practices for developing mobile insectaries, and emphasize the importance of maintaining reliable local mosquito colonies for product efficacy studies.
