Several emerging mosquito-management methods require the storage, transport, and delivery of mosquitoes to precise locations. There, lab-reared mosquitoes—for instance, males that have been sterilized—mix with wild mosquitoes and hinder the population’s ability to reproduce or transmit disease to humans. But, getting those mosquitoes from the lab into the wild presents logistical challenges, such as how the mosquitoes should be packed for transport. A project led by researchers at New Mexico State University sought to answer how tightly male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes could be packed together. Surprisingly, the highest density the researchers tested—240 mosquitoes per cubic centimeter, or about 1,200 to a teaspoon—resulted in the highest survival rate (about 85 percent) in an overnight-shipping test. This male Ae. aegypti, like many of the mosquitoes in the test, emerged with some missing scales and slight damage to its wings but was still able to fly. (Photo credit: Geoffrey M. Attardo, Ph.D., University of California, Davis)
Aedes aegypti male
Several emerging mosquito-management methods require the storage, transport, and delivery of mosquitoes to precise locations. There, lab-reared mosquitoes—for instance, males that have been sterilized—mix with wild mosquitoes and hinder the population’s ability to reproduce or transmit disease to humans. But, getting those mosquitoes from the lab into the wild presents logistical challenges, such as how the mosquitoes should be packed for transport. A project led by researchers at New Mexico State University sought to answer how tightly male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes could be packed together. Surprisingly, the highest density the researchers tested—240 mosquitoes per cubic centimeter, or about 1,200 to a teaspoon—resulted in the highest survival rate (about 85 percent) in an overnight-shipping test. This male Ae. aegypti, like many of the mosquitoes in the test, emerged with some missing scales and slight damage to its wings but was still able to fly. (Photo credit: Geoffrey M. Attardo, Ph.D., University of California, Davis)
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