Ovitrap
An ovitrap is a device which consists of a black cylinder with a piece of cardboard. This device is used to control the Aedes mosquito population and as well all other mosquito populations. It can monitor, control and detect aedes mosquito populations thus acting as an early warning signal to preempt any impending dengue outbreaks.[1]
The black ovitrap attracts female mosquitoes to lay their eggs. When the eggs hatch and develop into adults, they cannot fly out of the device and die inside the trap. The extensive use of the ovitrap in a community can be used in Aedes population control and effectively reduce the Aedes population in that area. It has been used in countries like Singapore, United States and Hong Kong since the 1970s.
Analysis can be done on the ovitrap breeding data collected weekly to identify mosquito breeding hotspots and risk areas when there is a danger of high Aedes aegypti infestation. Three ovitrap models had been developed to analyse the ovitrap breeding data collected. The analysis results are used to plan vector surveillance and control operations.
An adulticidal lethal ovitrap was developed by US Army entomologists Brian Zeichner and Michael Perich. These lethal ovitraps target container-breeding mosquitoes, primarily Aedes species, such as the main vector of dengue fever, Aedes aegypti. Container-breeding mosquitoes such as Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus are notable in that their preferred breeding sites are small, artificial containers of water created by human activity, from rain buckets and vases to plant catch trays, discarded bottles and cans, old tires, and the leaf axils of ornamental plants. The sheer number of possible breeding sites makes traditional larviciding difficult. Container-breeding mosquitoes are also not sufficiently controlled by traditional methods spraying or fogging of insecticides over a wide area. The lethal ovitrap draws in female mosquitoes who are looking for small, man-made containers of water in which to lay their eggs. Once they enter the device, they receive a small but lethal dose of an insecticide; this “lure and kill” strategy uses much less insecticide per given area compared to aerial spraying or fogging of adulticides. Any larvae that may hatch are killed by the residual adulticide in the water of the trap.