Mosquito borne diseases are of the most deadly and infectious known causing millions of deaths every year. Mosquitoes survive in various climates and are present all over the world. It is important to have an up to date record on their movement and distribution as this will allow for scientists and the public to plan [...]
Due to the decrease in governmental mosquito control programs resulting from the state government budget cuts in 2014, it was seen that many homeowners in North Carolina spent their money to control household level mosquito-related issues. Researchers Stephanie Richards, Jo Anne Balanay, Brian Byrd, Michael Reiskind and Diane Styers noted that factors affecting mosquito control [...]
Well, it has been a long while since we updated vectorecology.org. Sometimes, personal life intervenes, and updates took a back-burner for the last 9 months. But, time to shake off the dust. So, I will start with this image of Culex egg rafts in a stagnant pool, part of an artificial creek. The egg rafts are [...]
Please register for a free, online talk given by our very own Dr. Michael Reiskind on the fascinating, albeit recently neglected, natural history of mosquitoes. You can watch the talk live on Thursday, May 26th at 2pm EST. Listeners will have the opportunity to submit questions for Dr. Reiskind, and if you can't make the [...]
It has been a while since I posted here, busy with teaching, manuscripts, life. But I have had some interesting experiences of late, and I will share them here for anyone interested. First, some trivia. I always teach that mosquitoes don't transmit bacteria, and I maintain that this is still a true statement. However, a [...]
Figure taken from Eisen, RJ, et al. 2016 Illustrating the expansion of tick range since 1998 survey. A study published in the Journal of Medical Entomology reports an overall expansion of the tick’s distribution, especially in the northern regions of the United States. Although the nationwide number of cases have dramatically increased for [...]
It is well known that certain mosquito species can be adapted to better utilize particular environments when compared to other habitat generalist species. Researchers have worked to characterize mosquito populations in wild habitats, such as woodlands, fields, and the boundaries between these habitat types, known as edges. Because of this, you can get a pretty [...]
In the early days of space exploration we know that monkeys and dogs had been launched into space, but did you know that our six-legged friends have also made that journey into the outer reaches? According to Wikipedia and NASA’s History of Animals in Space, 18 different insects have been sent to space since 1960. [...]
Zika virus has recently emerged in Central and South America, causing millions of cases of fever. This mosquito-borne virus, related to dengue, yellow fever, and West Nile viruses causes a relatively mild bout of flu-like symptoms for a week or so. One notable symptom is reddening of the eyes. In most healthy adults, or even [...]
Well, we finally have winter like weather here in NC. I saw a flying, adult Aedes vexans on December 23rd, but the hard freezes over the last couple of days should eliminate those guys. Early in my academic career, I remember seeing a talk by a "freelance" mosquito control professional who provided service to New [...]