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The height and direction of flight of mosquitoes in West African savanna, in relation to wind speed and direction

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 July 2009

W. F. Snow
W. F. Snow
Affiliation:
School of Biological Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton BN1 9QG, U. K.
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Abstract

The height and direction of mosquito flight related to wind speed and direction, in the absence of a host, was investigated in open savanna in The Gambia, West Africa. Non-directional suction traps (at heigts of 0·68, 2·13 and 3·15 m); directional flight traps facing four directions ar three levels (0·00–1·37 m, 1·45–2·82 m and 2·90–4·27 m) and directional suction traps facing two directions at three heights (0–1·2 m, 2·4–3·7 m nd 4·9–6·1 m) were used. Catches form the non-directional suction traps and pooled data from all flight traps at each level showed an inverse relationship between wind speed and the height of flight of Anopheles melas (Theo.), of gravid females and of male mosquitoes. There was no indication of a similar relationship for the Culex decens Theo. group or for C. thalassius Theo. The results from flight traps and directional suction traps showed that all mosquitoes were apparently flying upwind at all the levels investigaed. It is concluded that, although upwind flight probably does not occur naturally in the open at eights of more than 1 or 2 m, these experiments indicate that upwind flight could occur at higher levels, in the lee of tree and other obstacles.

Type
Original Articles
Information
Bulletin of Entomological Research , Volume 67 , Issue 2 , June 1977 , pp. 271 - 279
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1977

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