Composition and seasonal activity patterns of mosquito communities collected with malaise traps at Etang de Virelles Nature Reserve (Virelles, Hainaut), a migratory bird sanctuary and possible site for arbovirus transmission in Belgium,‖ European Mosquito (original) (raw)

The phenology of mosquito communities is important in the assessment of risks of transmission and control of several arboviruses, especially in situations where migratory and non-migrating bird species congregate, The Etang de Virelles Nature Reserve (Belgium) and its associated wetlands is a prime example of an area attracting large numbers of both resident and migratory birds. Malaise Traps set in four different marshland habitats in this nature reserve, collected nine species of mosquito during the spring and summer of 2006 and proved, both from the operational viewpoint and in the results obtained, to be a good adult Culicidae sampling technique, . When emptied each week they also enable us to construct seasonal activity patterns of the resident mosquitoes. The most abundant species, Ochlerotatus cantans, a potential vector of West Nile virus, and Aedes cinereus/geminus exhibited different seasonal activity patterns, even in adjacent habitats. Densities of the floodwater species...