Week 3: A New Route and a New Kind of Trap

Things here at the CMMCP are certainly picking up. As we progress further into the season, I am noticing more and more mosquitos in my traps, and the lab technicians tell us that they are finding many species that are common vectors of the viruses we monitor for. My third week with the CMMCP also brought a couple changes and additions to my day-to-day routine. For one thing, I switched routes, and now work the Northern Route instead of the Central Route. For another, we started setting another kind of trap, the Gravid trap, alongside the CDC CO2 traps I talked about last week. Let's get into it!

Gravid Traps

    These traps are great way to catch mosquitos completely intact. The setup is also a bit simpler than the CDC CO2 traps, as there are just fewer small pieces to pay attention to. This trap works by luring mosquitos to land in a tray full of Gravid water to lay their eggs. The Gravid water is made by fermenting hay in water. I will be completely honest in saying it smells absolutely terrible. It is known as "Mosquito Soup" around the office and is not regarded highly. The trap itself is perched on top of the tray. A motor inside the box powers a fan that creates negative pressure inside the white box. This creates a sort of vacuum through the opening in the bottom of the white box. The mosquitos that land on the Gravid water get sucked in through the bottom of the trap, and are held there by the fan until the trap is picked up. 

    We most often catch mosquitos in the Culex genus when using the Gravid traps. Many species in this genus can carry West Nile Virus, making the Gravid traps extremely useful.

Mosquitos to Watch Out For

While the Department of Public Health has not opened for virus testing yet, it is still valuable to keep track of the species that are appearing in significant numbers, as they can be an indicator of how much risk there is for viruses to spread this season.

Culiseta melanura: The females of this species of mosquito feed primarily on birds and are rarely attracted to mammals. However, it is still extremely important for human health to monitor this species because it is a significant vector of EEE. While this species is unlikely to transmit EEE directly to humans, it increases the risk of EEE being spread between birds and mammals. We are unfortunately seeing this species of mosquito in our traps this year, which is something we want to keep an eye on as the season progresses.

Coquillettidia perturbans (A.K.A. the cattail mosquito): This species is what is known as a bridge vector between birds, humans and horses. It is also a vector of EEE. This makes it especially dangerous in combination with species such as the melanura, as this is the key that makes high EEE rates among birds dangerous for humans. We are finding significantly more perturbans this season compared to last year.

Due to significant findings of these EEE vector species, I have been urged by our entymologist to be extra careful with bug spray while at my trap sites. I would like to urge anyone reading this to take similar precautions especially if you live in Massachusetts. The early signs we are seeing here at the CMMCP point to this season having the potential for higher than usual rates of EEE. Enjoy your summer, but please stay safe out there!

What did I Listen to this Week?

In order to not end this post on too ominous of a note, here are some of my favorite albums that I listened to while driving between trap sites this week!

1. Unreal Unearth - Hozier

I have the CD of this album in my car. Almost every time I listen to it I find something new about it that I like. This artist is incredibly thoughtful with lyrics, so there's always something new to pay attention to.

2. String Quartet No.12 in F major, Op. 96 - "American" - Anton Dvorak

I don't often listen to classical music while driving between sites, but this week I did! I am a violist, and it is my dream to someday play that famous opening viola solo with a quartet.

3. Shore - Fleet Foxes

It's only week three, but I can almost guarantee that this artist will show up in this segment almost every week. There are so many songs that I love on this album, but my favorite is either Can I Believe You or Sunblind.