Comparison of the number of adult <i>Ae</i>. <i>albopictus</i> collected using BGS1 and BGS2P traps with and without CO₂ in New Jersey and Louisiana, USA.

<p>Comparison of the number of adult <i>Ae</i>. <i>albopictus</i> collected using BGS1 and BGS2P traps with and without CO₂ in New Jersey and Louisiana, USA.</p

Comparison of the number of adult <i>Ae</i>. <i>albopictus</i> collected in New Jersey and Louisiana, USA, using BGS2P and BGS2P with white cloth with and without lures.

<p>Comparison of the number of adult <i>Ae</i>. <i>albopictus</i> collected in New Jersey and Louisiana, USA, using BGS2P and BGS2P with white cloth with and without lures.</p

Comparison of the number of adult <i>Ae</i>. <i>albopictus</i> collected using BGS2P traps with and without white cloth using various lures in New Jersey and Virginia, USA.

<p>Comparison of the number of adult <i>Ae</i>. <i>albopictus</i> collected using BGS2P traps with and without white cloth using various lures in New Jersey and Virginia, USA.</p

Reduced performance of a PVC-coated Biogents Sentinel prototype in comparison to the original Biogents Sentinel for monitoring the Asian tiger mosquito, <i>Aedes albopictus</i>, in temperate North America

<div><p><i>Aedes albopictus</i> is a major nuisance pest and also a public health concern because of the role it plays in the transmission of arboviruses. There is a continuing demand for effective surveillance tools for this species. The first generation of Biogents Sentinel (BGS1) traps have proven to be an effective tool for surveillance of <i>Ae</i>. <i>albopictus</i> throughout its range, however, some defects in construction led to the eventual development of the next generation. We compared the performance of the new generation prototype trap (BGS2P) to the original. Studies were conducted in suburban and urban areas in Florida, Louisiana, New Jersey, and Virginia, USA in the summer of 2014 (July-October). BGS1 traps collected significantly more <i>Ae</i>. <i>albopictus</i> when compared to the BGS2P with or without CO₂ in all locations (<i>P</i><0.05). When a white cloth was wrapped around the BGS2P traps, efficiency did not change in Louisiana, New Jersey, and Virginia; however, numbers of adult <i>Ae</i>. <i>albopictus</i> collected from the BGS2P and the BGS1 were significantly different based on lure type (<i>P</i>< 0.0001). Results from Florida showed that BGS1with the BG lure and CO₂ collected significantly higher adult numbers compared to BGS2P with a three component cartridge lure and CO₂ (<i>P</i>< 0.0001). Overall, our results indicate that despite improvements in construction and durability of the BGS2P, this newer trap type did not increase the capture rates of <i>Ae</i>. <i>albopictus</i> in North America. Biogents modified BGS2P based on the data collected from the current study and updated as Biogents Sentinel 2 is now commercially available and its efficacy in comparison to the original will require further study.</p></div

The three variations of the Biogents Sentinel trap.

<p>(A) Original BGS1. (B) PVC-coated BGS2 prototype (BGS2P). (C) PVC-coated BGS2P with optional white cover.</p

Comparison of the number of adult <i>Ae</i>. <i>albopictus</i> collected using BGS1 and BGS2P traps with and without lures in Florida, USA.

<p>Comparison of the number of adult <i>Ae</i>. <i>albopictus</i> collected using BGS1 and BGS2P traps with and without lures in Florida, USA.</p