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Managing Mosquito Mayhem: A Sustainable Solution Approach

Discover the interplay between humans and mosquitoes, the positive and negative effects, species, biology, and solutions for a sustainable coexistence. Learn about why mosquitoes bite, how they find hosts, and effective management practices. Embrace an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approach for a more targeted and eco-friendly strategy.

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Managing Mosquito Mayhem: A Sustainable Solution Approach

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Presentation Transcript

  1. Mosquito Mayhem? • What do these mosquitoes want from us? • What role did we play in creating this mayhem? • Can we fix the problem?

  2. Mosquitoes • Mosquitoes were around long before humans • There are over 3500 known species of mosquitoes • Only around 100 species are known to be vectors of diseases

  3. Mosquitoes • Since mosquitoes were here before humans, they have evolved to specialize in biting humans • Humans have made a major contribution to the success of mosquitoes • Aedes mosquitoes have evolved habitat specialization involving adaptation to container habitats

  4. Mosquitoes • Order: Diptera Family: Culicidae • The most common, and most dangerous species belong to the genera: • Culex • Anopheles • Aedes

  5. Negative effects of Mosquitoes • West Nile virus • Malaria • Yellow fever, Dengue, Chikungunya, Zika • Culex • Anopheles • Aedes

  6. Positive effects of Mosquitoes • Ecological services • Vital role in the food chain • Pollination

  7. Mosquito larvae • Culex • Anopheles • Aedes

  8. Mosquito larvae • Culex • Anopheles • Aedes

  9. Mosquito larvae • Culex • Anopheles • Aedes

  10. Why Mosquitoes Bite Humans? • Females need a blood meal to get the proteins necessary for egg development • They feed on nectar

  11. How do they find us? • Chemically - Carbon dioxide, lactic acid and certain chemicals in sweat • Range 36 meters • Visually – Usually motion • Heat detection

  12. What have we done to deal with the mayhem? • Our actions have primarily been two-pronged • Chemical control • Source reduction

  13. What have we done to deal with the mayhem? • Our actions have primarily been two-pronged • Chemical control • Source reduction

  14. Solving the mayhem? • A knowledge-based approach • A focus on management, rather than control and certainly not eradication • Management requires a full knowledge of the biology and ecology of the mosquitoes

  15. Knowledge required towards a solution • Ecology of mosquitoes • Distribution and abundance of different species • Focus on container mosquitoes • Intra and inter-specific competition • Biological control agents • DNA metabarcoding

  16. Knowledge required towards a solution • Climatic factors • Mosquitoes are poikilothermic • Their ecology, development, behaviour and survival are impacted by climatic factors • Transmission dynamics of the diseases transmitted are strongly influenced by climatic factors • Mosquito climate modelling

  17. Knowledge required towards a solution • Population dynamics of economically important species • Impact of seasonality, weather, predation • Use of mathematical and simulation modelling • Invasion biology of Aedesalbopictus (The Asian Tiger Mosquito)

  18. Towards a sustainable solution • An IPM approach • An integrated area-wide approach • A cost-effective surveillance program to facilitate the decision-making process • Ecological management (Requires input from human behavioural scientists) • Strategies that are more target specific with limited collateral damage (Environmentally friendly)

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