A Study on the Resting Preference of Mosquito Species in Wells 27-31in Vellore in Tamilnadu, South India.

ABSTRACT

The resting preferences of mosquito species was investigated in domestic wells. In addition to the routine adult surveys in human dwellings, adult collections were also made in domestic wells using an innovated equipment operating on the principles of spray sheet collections. Above the water surface, wells provide humid and dark microclimate along the inner walls. It has been observed that this microclimate provides very congenial resting place for few mosquito species; specially for the males and for the females between their gonotropic cycles. Larval collections in the wells did not reveal breeding of majority of the mosquito species collected by this technique. Investigations were conducted in 87 wells in 11 localities during 2005. A total of 4969 mosquitos were collected of which 69.1 % (3441) were males and 30.9% (1528) were females. From among the mosquitos collected 96.5% were Cu.quinquifasciatus, 0.26% All stephensi, 3.0% Aedes agypti and 0.24% Armegeres sp. The results of the analysis of the physical and chemical parameter of water samples of the study wells before and after the surveys endorsed the utility of this technique for entomological investigations in outbreak situations, for monitoring the liquidation of outbreak foci and for other research purposes.