Evaluation of the Mosquito Magnet® trap with and without octenol to collect mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae)

The efficiency of the Mosquito Magnet(R) Liberty Plus (MMLP) trap was evaluated with and without octenol for the capture of adult female mosquitoes in Maracay, Aragua state, Venezuela. Captures were carried out twice a week between 3:00 pm and 10:00 am, one day with octenol and the following without it, during 8 weeks between April and May, 2013 with a total of 152 hours of sampling effort per treatment. A total of 229 specimens belonging to 10 species distributed in 5 genera were caught. In general, similar numbers of mosquitoes were caught in traps both with and without octenol. No significant differences were observed between the two treatments for the two most abundant species (Anopheles pseudopunctipennis and Aedes angustivittatus) or for the total number of mosquitoes captured. Similar proportions of Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus females were also captured independent of the treatment used. However, significantly more Culex quinquefasciatus were caught in the traps without octenol. The results suggest that it is feasible to use the MMLP traps without octenol in future studies of entomological surveillance for the prevention and control of malaria, dengue and other arboviruses, especially in remote areas. Nevertheless, further evaluations in endemic areas should be done during periods of higher mosquito abundance in order to obtain a more precise estimate of the effectiveness of traps with and without octenol.