Biogents Mosquito Blog

 Biogents was a proud sponsor of the 8th conference of the EMCA (European Mosquito Control Association) in Bečići, Montenegro, (March 12 – 16, 2017). Central thematic: Mosquito Control in a Changing Environment.

Since its introduction and establishment in Italy during the early 1990s, the Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus, has spread over large parts of Italy and other Mediterranean countries. Aedes albopictus is both a nuisance and a competent vector for various arthropod-borne pathogens. Although efficient traps for Ae. albopictus exist and are used for population monitoring, their use as a control tool has not yet been studied. We evaluated Biogents BG-Sentinel mosquito traps, used with the BG-Lure, as control tools in northern Italy. The trial was performed as a controlled experiment in which 3 intervention sites, equipped with 7 or 8 BG-Sentinel traps each, were matched with 3 comparable control sites. Trap density ranged from 1 trap per 150 m2 to 1 per 350 m2. Mosquito populations were monitored at both the intervention and control sites with weekly human landing collections (HLC) and ovitraps. Between 64% and 87% fewer Ae. albopictus individuals were collected by HLC at the intervention sites with the BG-Sentinel mosquito traps, as compared to the untreated control sites. These results indicate that the sustained use and proper placement of efficient mosquito traps can significantly reduce Ae. albopictus biting pressure.

Read more about the results in the publication:
Englbrecht, C., Gordon, S., Venturelli, C., Rose, A., and Geier, M. (2015). Evaluation of BG-Sentinel Trap as a Management Tool to Reduce Aedes albopictus Nuisance in an Urban Environment in Italy. Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association 31, 16–25.

40 to 50 BGS traps were utilized during an intensive 5-year surveillance as part of an ‘Area-wide Management Program for the Asian Tiger Mosquito’ in NJ, USA. The results are now published. The authors say that the Biogents Sentinel (BGS) trap is a very effective tool to monitor adult populations of Aedes albopictus and that although BGS traps are becoming the gold standard instrument for Ae. albopictus surveillance, they can also be used to collect other important mosquito species, which can enhance existing vector surveillance programs.

Read more about the results in the publication:
Unlu I., Farajollahi A. (2014) Multiyear Surveillance for Aedes albopictus with Biogents Sentinel Trap Counts for Males and Species Composition of Other Mosquito Species. Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association, 30(2):122-125.
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.2987/14-6401.1

Four different traps, Biogents Sentinel trap (BG trap), Heavy Duty Encephalitis Vector Survey trap (EVS trap), Centres for Disease Control miniature light trap (CDC trap) and Mosquito Magnet Patriot Mosquito trap (MM trap) were compared in a 4×4 latin square study. In the years 2012 and 2013, more than seventy 24-hour trap comparisons were conducted at ten different locations in northern and southern Germany, representing urban, forest and floodplain biotopes.

Regensburg 2014/03/27 – Dengue fever is widely distributed in Brazil and other tropical and subtropical regions and a constant threat to the local population. Dengue is mosquito-borne virus that infects up to 100 million people each year. Because there is no effective vaccine available, the only way to control the disease is by controlling the dengue mosquitoes. While the use of conventional insecticides is widespread, they have become increasingly ineffective due to insecticide resistance.

A new approach to control the mosquitoes could be the mosquito trap developed by Biogents. A large-scale study published in the Entomological Society of America’s Journal of Medical Entomology has demonstrated for the first time that these traps can also reduce the number of dengue mosquitoes (Aedes aegypti) in a broad urban area. The study co-financed by the world-bank was conducted over 18 months with more than 1400 households and 450 Biogents traps in Manaus, Brazil.

The result: „The study shows that the Biogents traps can significantly reduce the amount of adult female Aedes aegypti especially in the rainy season” says Prof. Eiras from the University Federal de Minas Gerais (Brazil). The number of dengue infections in the test areas also decreased. An additional advantage for household trap users was the Biogents traps also reduced numbers of the annoying and often numerous tropical house mosquito (Culex quinquefasciatus). Households that used the traps reported a noticeable reduction in the nuisance from mosquitoes. Additional studies will be required to investigate the effects of trapping on larger scales and during epidemics.

Publication:
Degener et al, 2014: Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Mass Trapping With BG-Sentinel Traps for Dengue Vector Control: A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial in Manaus, Brazil, J. Med. Entomol. 51(2): 000Ð000 (2014); DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1603/ME13107