Science Cafe Posts - Mission Mosquito
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Purpose The purpose of this experiment is to determine the prevalence of two characteristics of containers in attracting more mosquitos. I wanted to measure if mosquitos prefer to lay their eggs in locations with more shade as well as how the color of the trap, dark or clear, can also impact this preference. Methods Since Aedes mosquitos, which are the most common type of mosquitos in San...
Purpose: The purpose of this experiment is to determine the prevalence of each container’s exposure to sunlight in attracting more mosquitos. My intent was to measure the difference in the preferences of female mosquitoes to lay their eggs in locations with more or less shade. Methods: After some research, I was able to deduce that the most common mosquitoes in North Georgia...
Introduction: In my trap experiment, I decided to test the attractiveness of different bait types to pregnant female mosquitos. I was interested to discover what conditions drew in mosquitos the most. Experimental Design: I constructed 4 mosquito traps using plastic tupperware containers and filled them each with about 400ml of tap water. I then introduced a different bait...
Purpose: The purpose of this experiment is to determine the type of bait and the container size that attracts the greatest number of mosquitos. I hoped to understand whether the amount of water and the bait in the water made a difference in the oviposition of female mosquitos. Setup: I used 6 different buckets of 3 different sizes and filled them with two types of bait- initially sugar water...
My experiment aims to find the effects of saltwater concentration on mosquito breeding. WEEK ONE- June 13-18, 2022 Hypothesis- Mosquitos are more likely to breed in water with the least amount of salt. All the traps were set up in open Tupperware containers containing- 2.5 cups of tap water, 1 tablespoon of dog kibble, and either 0, 1, or 3 teaspoons of water, depending on which...
I’m located in Reno, Nevada. Reno’s climate is semiarid and Nevada is the driest state in the US. Additionally, Reno’s daily temperatures vary significantly: June’s average temperature high is 29 degrees celsius and its low is 10 degrees Celsius, similarly July’s average temperature high is 34 degrees and its low is 13 degrees celsius. In contrast, mosquitoes tend to breed best at around 29...
Experiment 1: For my first experiment, I tested the effects of water color on mosquito oviposition. Materials: - Three 1.25-liter bottles - Three bottles of food coloring (yellow, green, and blue) - Three rocks - Three paint stirring sticks - Nine dog treat pebbles - Three cups of water Experimental Design: After reading articles such as "New Study Shows Mosquitoes are Attracted to...
I decided to have two controls for my experiment: plain water and sugar water. Since I am testing how mosquitoes react to flowers; specifically, the number of eggs I collect, I wanted to get more variant data by having plain water and sugar water. After the first week of my experiment, I saw that many ants infested the sugar water (as anticipated), however, I found more mosquito larvae in the...
For 4 weeks this summer, much like other Earth Explorer interns, I built a few mosquito traps and set them out near my home within my AOI. I’m located in sunny Plano, Texas, near a creek. To set up my traps, I first bought 4 large, 2 Liter soda bottles, drank a small bit, and emptied the rest out. I know we shouldn’t eat in the lab, but let’s just say the experiment started after the bottles...
For my experiment, I decided to test the effect of sunlight and different colored traps on number of mosquito larvae. I started my experiment by gathering six white buckets. I then painted two of them red and two of them blue. I also covered each bucket with a sealant. After the buckets were prepared, I placed a white, red and blue bucket directly in the sunlight. The remaining three...
Introduction To follow along with NASA GLOBE’s mission to encourage public involvement in mosquito observation research, I decided to conduct a small experiment to determine preferred mosquito habitats. I’m writing this blog about my experience to encourage people to become citizen scientists as well and take part in the GLOBE Observer App’s mission [1]! Hypothesis Since mosquitos most...
Introduction California is home to 53 mosquito species, including many that serve as vectors for diseases like West Nile, Malaria, and Dengue. In my county of California, Santa Clara, mosquitoes from the genus Culex and Aedes are most common. For mosquitos to keep their population flourishing, female mosquitos lay eggs in stagnant containers of water. These eggs then go through the mosquito...
Purpose: My experiment aims to test whether: 1) Ovitraps or Safe Bottle Traps attract more mosquitoes 2) CO2 traps or CO2 under light at night attract more mosquitoes Background: Studies have shown that mosquitoes can detect carbon dioxide and may move towards the area with an increase in carbon dioxide. In fact, pregnant women are a feast for mosquitoes! This is due to an...
My experiment is testing the effect various types of bait have Mosquito Habitation. My research consists of three five gallon buckets, all filled with equal amounts of water and placed under shade. Each of my buckets has a different type of bait (dirt, leaves, and wood chips). Each week I take out any larvae I see and refill the traps to the 9 inch mark (to keep the water level constant each...
I set up four traps in my back yard each one has the exact same bait but each one is a different size. The bait that I used for my mosquito traps is dog chow that was fermented for a few days. The first trap that I set up was a small plastic water bottle cut in half then I placed the bait, then the wooden stick but the first trap was a complete failure since my dog ate everything inside...
Firstly, my first week wasn't the most successful; I placed 2 buckets around my AOI, but wasn't able to get a third down. I walked in one business and asked if I could use the land in the back. They said they would give me a call when they could... never got that call through the week. I also called a church in my AOI and, again, they would call me back. No call. Lastly, I tried my elementary...
I'm going to share my experiences conducting a mosquito trap experiment in the suburbs of Cleveland, Ohio. Throughout the summer, I will have 4 mosquito traps set up in my backyard, each baited with different substances, but otherwise identical. The goal of this controlled experiment is to see what type of bait is most successful at attracting adult female mosquitoes to lay their eggs. Week 1...
My mosquito trap experiment is testing the effects of different kinds of bait and locations on mosquitoes. I have set up three different traps in three different locations with three different kinds of bait. Experiments and Hypotheses Trap #1: This trap is located in my backyard, which has an abundance of wasps. I know that wasps are not predators of mosquitoes, but I believe that the...
Hypothesis: It is expected that most mosquito larvae will be present in alkaline water with the highest pH while the least mosquito larvae in the acidic water with low pH. Setup: 5 identical buckets were placed in a shaded area in my backyard, several meters from each other. The independent variable in this case was the pH of the water as it varied from strongly acidic to strongly alkaline....
Setup/Procedure In this experiment, I used four traps with four different baits as such: Concentrated Processed Sugar (Gatorade), Less Concentrated Processed Sugar (Refined Sugar Dissolved in Water), Concentrated Less Processed Sugar (Honey Dissolved in Water), Less Concentrated and Less Processed Sugar (Coconut Water). This was of course was alongside the control trap, consisting solely of...
In this experiment, I will be exploring how geoposition, type of bait, and container size influence female mosquitos’ choice of where to lay their eggs. Experimental design There will be a total of 5 traps. Three of the traps will be positioned at a location near my house. They will be separated by a reasonable distance in the same type of environment to minimize the experimental error...
Introduction/Theory For my mosquito experiment, I am testing how different kinds of bait affect the number of oviposition in my trap. Different mosquito species are attracted to different habitats, natural or artificial, some of which have been changing due to climate change. Mosquitoes are the most dangerous animal in the world because of their disease transmitting abilities, so...
Research Questions: My experiment ran two adjacent triads of mosquito traps aimed to explore two questions: whether the local mosquito species in my area prefer to oviposit in containers with greater surface areas of water, and whether the same mosquitoes would prefer to oviposit in particular containers with varying types of water "bait". Data: After 5 weeks of running this...
During my field study, I observed that I found more mosquito larvae in dirty ditches under an open sky. Based on my observations, for my mosquito traps, the specific variables I chose to control were centered around the quality of water and trap wall materials. I made 3 traps: A deep ceramic pot with mud, water, sticks, and dead and live plants, a cut water bottle with clear water and black...
*Last Updated July 14, 2022 Purpose: For my experiment, I am testing what color container and type of water mosquitos are most attracted to. Background research: During the weekly science session with Dr. Alison Parker, I learned more about mosquito habitats and where mosquitos breed. Mosquitos lay their eggs in/near water, and mosquitos in their early larvae and pupae stages live in...
I am currently testing the attractability of mosquitoes to black and white, with a control of transparent plastic. This could help us determine what clothes to dress in to avoid mosquito bites, and therefore the spread of disease, when going outside. Materials: Three 1 liter clear plastic containers One 1 liter white plastic container One 1 liter black plastic container Five wooden...
Initial Setup I decided to test how sunlight and container size would effect mosquito oviposition both in terms of how many larvae and what type of larvae are found in each container. Testing For Sunlight I found two locations in the same neighborhood with very different levels of sunlight. My first location is a sunny and open back yard (with my cat): My second location is a shady...
As my trap experiment, I'm comparing location, trap contents, and trap container (mostly the container, hence the title). I have 8 traps set up across 3 locations - 3 in one, 3 in another, and 2 in the last. Each location's traps all share an origin for the water they use and the bait they use, but each of the traps in a location uses a different type of container - either a dark blue bucket,...
The last 4 weeks of field trips and mosquito mapping have made me curious about the effect of water quality on the habitation of mosquito larvae in water bodies. So far, I have gone to a canal, creeks, ponds, and backyards. All these places vary in their water quality and mosquito larvae content. <--- The creek I visited had mostly clear water <--- Canal with poor water quality and lots...
After reading the article "Container Type Affects Mosquito Oviposition Choice," I was inspired to test how a container's surface area, an abiotic parameter, may affect female mosquito oviposition choice (Parker et al). At first, I was really curious about how the ratio of surface area to volume in a container affected oviposition choice. Thus, I began my experiment by finding containers with...
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