Mosquito 'Cognito
Summary of Findings
Vero Beach Trials
October 7th to 15th 1998
1. Introduction
The study took place at the University of Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory at Vero Beach Florida The laboratory is a 103-acre wilderness preserve for research on disease vectors. During the 9-day duration of the study, 21 hours of mosquito landings were taken using male and female subjects to test the effectiveness of subjects protected by Mosquito 'Cognito versus subjects in an unprotected control location.
Figure 1: University of Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory.
2. Weather
Weather conditions were ideal for mosquito activity. High temperature ranged form 85°F to 91°F. Low temperatures ranged form 67°F to 75°F. Temperature during the 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM period when landing counts were taken ranged form 73°F to 81°F. There were showers in the evening during the first five nights. Winds were light, generally 4 to 6 miles per hour out of the north and east.
3. Method
Control
A CDC trap was run each night as a control to measure the population
of local species. The CDC trap releases 200 ml/min CO2 per minute,
which is equal to the respiration of a 90-kg (200-pound) person.
Figure 2: CDC Trap
Mosquito 'Cognito
Mosquito 'Cognito was tested against a control in a 2x2 Latin Square. Each repetition consisted of a human subject at a location simulating a deck overlooking tropical hammock mosquito habitat 9 to 12 meters (30 to 40 feet) distant. The location was a 6-foot high stair landing on the east side of the main laboratory building (not labeled on the map, it is the building nearest the Administration Library). Male and female subjects alternated positions at 10-minute intervals.
Each subject's leg was exposed from the ankle to the knee to attract mosquitoes and midges. Mosquito landings anywhere on the body were counted, and an attempt to capture the insect with an aspirator was successful about 50% to 70% of the time.
Figure 3: Mosquito 'Cognito Deck Setup
Dr. Richard Darsie, author of Mosquitoes of North America, assisted with on-the-spot identification of species in the Control aspirator and in the Mosquito 'Cognito aspirator in the field.
Specimens were frozen and sent to the USDA laboratory in Gainesville where they were counted and identified by species by Dr. Daniel Kline.
4. Results
Many species of mosquito and one species of biting midge were present. They included:
Culex nigrapalpus, a St Louis encephalitis vector,
Aedes taeniorhynchus, the Black Salt Marsh mosquito
Aedes albopictus, the Asian Tiger mosquito,
Culicoides furens, a biting midge.
|
Mosquito 'Cognito |
Control |
|||
|
No. |
Interval (min) |
No. |
Interval (min) |
|
|
Male |
5 |
4 |
27 |
1.1 |
Table 1: Mosquito Landings and Average Interval Between Landings
A CDC trap captured an average of 50 mosquitoes per hour in the tropical hammock nearby, and landing counts on unprotected subjects were at or near those levels. Mosquito 'Cognito performed better on the male subject than the female subject. Mosquito 'Cognito performs best on a Deck or other raised surface that is at least 9 m (30 feet) away from mosquito habitat.
Figure 4: Mosquito Landings
5. Conclusions
Mosquito 'Cognito reduced mosquito landings by about 75% when used properly, i.e. on a raised platform such as a deck or porch located at least 9 meters (30 feet) away from mosquito habitat. Mosquito 'Cognito blocks the ability of biting insects to locate people by tracking their scent. Like bloodhounds, biting insects can smell a person's scent long before they can see them. Biting flies and mosquitoes pick up the scent of their quarry at a distance of up to 300 feet, but their eyes cannot see a person-sized object until they are within 30 feet. Mosquito 'Cognito hides the scent of people and animals so biting insects cannot get within visual range.
Mosquito 'Cognito also reduced landings when used in mosquito habitat such as grassy areas or tropical hammock, but a repellent such as DEET® is best suited for these locations. While Mosquito 'Cognito keeps distant mosquitoes from locating people, it cannot prevent nearby mosquitoes from locating people by vision (seeing the person's movements) or by the person's thermal emissions (sensing body heat). For this reason, it is inappropriate for use within mosquito habitat.