True or False: When collecting Asian tiger mosquitoes with a light trap, remove the light bulb and use dry ice as the only attractant.

True or False: When collecting Asian tiger mosquitoes with a light trap, remove the light bulb and use dry ice as the only attractant.

• A. False
• B. Not sure
• C. Sometimes
• D. True

Answer: (D)

Asian tiger mosquitoes are strongly attracted to carbon dioxide, which signals a nearby host. In mosquito surveillance, using CO2 from dry ice creates a consistent, host-like cue that effectively brings these species to the trap. Light by itself tends to attract a broader mix of species, including many that aren’t targets for Aedes monitoring, and it can bias the sample away from the daytime-active Asian tiger mosquitoes. By removing the light and relying on dry ice as the sole attractant, the trap focuses on the CO2 cue that these mosquitoes respond to, improving the likelihood of capturing the species of interest and reducing non-target captures. So using dry ice as the only attractant in a light trap is the recommended approach for collecting Asian tiger mosquitoes.

Asian tiger mosquitoes are strongly attracted to carbon dioxide, which signals a nearby host. In mosquito surveillance, using CO2 from dry ice creates a consistent, host-like cue that effectively brings these species to the trap. Light by itself tends to attract a broader mix of species, including many that aren’t targets for Aedes monitoring, and it can bias the sample away from the daytime-active Asian tiger mosquitoes. By removing the light and relying on dry ice as the sole attractant, the trap focuses on the CO2 cue that these mosquitoes respond to, improving the likelihood of capturing the species of interest and reducing non-target captures. So using dry ice as the only attractant in a light trap is the recommended approach for collecting Asian tiger mosquitoes.