A COMPARISON OF CARBON DIOXIDE SOURCES FOR MOSQUITO CAPTURE IN CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION LIGHT TRAPS ON THE FLORIDA GULF COAST 1

Abstract Traditional sources of carbon dioxide (CO2), dry ice, and compressed gas, were tested against 3 combinations of food-grade reagents known to generate CO2 using a compact, lightweight generator delivery system with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention light traps. Three 6 × 6 Latin square trials were completed near the Florida Gulf Coast in the Lower Suwannee Wildlife Refuge during the summer of 2013, collecting a total of 31,632 female mosquitoes. Treatments included dry ice, compressed CO2 gas, a control trap (no CO2), citric acid + sodium bicarbonate, vinegar + sodium bicarbonate, and yeast + sugar. Decreasing order of trap collections (treatment mean number of mosquitoes per trap night ± standard error) were dry ice 773.5 (±110.1) > compressed gas 440.7 (±42.3) > citric acid + sodium bicarbonate 197.6 (±30.4), yeast + sugar 153.6 (±27.4) > vinegar + sodium bicarbonate 109.6 (±16.2) > control 82.4 (±14.0). A 2-way Kruskal–Wallis analysis by treatment, site, and treatment × site interactio...