Monitoring Mosquito Abundance: Comparing an Optical Sensor with a Trapping Method

TL;DR

This paper introduces eBoss, an optical sensor for monitoring flying insects, and shows it provides more detailed and frequent data than traditional traps.

Contribution

The study introduces eBoss, a novel optical sensor for non-destructive, high-resolution monitoring of flying insect abundance.

Findings

eBoss recorded over 302,000 insect observations with 1-minute resolution over 8 months.

The optical sensor showed strong correlation with trap data but offered higher temporal resolution and statistical power.

eBoss can monitor mosquito abundance and activity patterns, aiding vector control and public health planning.

Abstract

Over the last decade, optical sensors have demonstrated great potential to provide complementary data to monitor insect abundance. This article introduces a field-deployable and non-destructive optical instrument to monitor the abundance of flying insects, called an Entomological Bistatic Optical Sensor System, or eBoss. The study focuses on comparing abundance measurements made by the eBoss and physical traps over an 8-month field campaign. The eBoss made over 302,000 insect observations and evaluated the aerial density (#/m3) of all flying insects as well as specifically male and female mosquitoes with a 1 min resolution, allowing us to monitor both the abundance over the season and daily peak of activity. The study’s objectives were to validate the optical sensor’s data against physical trap collections, which confirmed the correlation between the two methods. However, the eBoss demonstrated superior temporal resolution (1 min versus approximately 3 days) and statistical power due to its larger sample size. These findings suggest that an eBoss can significantly enhance flying insect monitoring efforts, such as mosquitoes or pollinators, providing valuable insights for vector control strategies, agriculture and public health planning.

Optical sensors have shown significant promise in offering additional data to track insect populations. This article presents a comparative study between abundance measurements obtained from a novel near-infrared optical sensor and physical traps. The optical instrument, named an Entomological Bistatic Optical Sensor System, or eBoss, is a non-destructive sensor operating in the near-infrared spectral range and designed to continuously monitor the population of flying insects. The research compares the mosquito aerial density (#/m3) obtained through the eBoss with trap counts from eight physical traps during an eight-month field study. The eBoss recorded over 302,000 insect sightings and assessed the aerial density of all airborne insects as well as male and female mosquitoes specifically with a resolution of one minute. This capability allows for monitoring population trends throughout the season as well as daily activity peaks. The results affirmed the correlation between the two methods. While optical instruments do not match traps in terms of taxonomic accuracy, the eBoss offered greater temporal resolution (one minute versus roughly three days) and statistical significance owing to its much larger sample size. These outcomes further indicate that entomological optical sensors can provide valuable complementary data to more common methods to monitor flying insect populations, such as mosquitoes or pollinators.

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