Development of the gravitrap : a practical sticky ovitrap for the surveillance and control of Aedes (Stegomyia) mosquito

• Main Author: Lee, Caleb Tze Kwang
• Other Authors: Richard D. Webster
• Format: Theses and Dissertations
• Language: English
• Published: 2018
• Subjects: DRNTU::Science::Chemistry
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/89663; http://hdl.handle.net/10220/46328
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

The Gravitrap is a novel tool for the surveillance and control of the container-breeding Aedes mosquito. The Gravitrap consists of two components, an outer and an inner container. Ten percent hay infusion is used as an attractant for the gravis female Aedes mosquito. The Gravitrap can be left in the field with minimal maintenance for at least 4 weeks without sacrificing trapping efficiency. From the timothy hay infusion headspace, 9 compounds were identified using gas-chromatography electroantennograph detector (GC-EAD). These compounds include cyclodecene, dodecanol, nonene and 3-ethyl-5-methylphenol. The Gravitrap proved valuable as a tool to monitor Aedes mosquito populations in dengue clusters in Singapore and has the ability to trap female Aedes mosquitoes to enable further molecular investigations into the prevailing dengue virus strains. While the Aedes population decreased in the test site after the introduction of the Gravitrap, this could not be completely attributed to the Gravitrap.