Methodology

The species we are investigating are Aedes albopictus, Aedes aegypti, and Aedes triseriatus. The habitat for rearing the mosquitoes is prepared by first drying 0.5g of oak leaves and 0.025g of dead crickets for 24 hours at 50C. After drying, the mixture is weighed and placed into a 250mL cup which is then filled with 200mL of deionized water and stored in the climate chamber set at 26C and 14 hours light: 10 hours dark, for 3 days. On day -1, the appropriate number of eggs will be hatched to produce sufficient larvae to stock each container with larval densities of 40, 60, 80, 100, and 120. On day 0, hatched larvae will be collected and rinsed. A sample of 20 larvae of each species was counted and dry weight was taken. After larvae were added to containers, they will be returned to the climate chamber. Each container will be checked daily and survivors were counted and stages identified. If pupae were present they will be collected and stored in labeled shell vials until eclosion of the adult. After eclosion, adults will be identified for species and sex, dried at 50C, weighed, and wing length measured. On every fourth day, until day 12, larvae (or pupae) will be collected at random from each cup, dried at 50C, and weighed. Mortality will be determined by using the equation:  mortality = dead (day i to day i+1)/ alive day i Growth rate will be determined using:  growth rate = log(mass day i +4 – mass day i)/(day i +4 – day i)

Development will be quantified by the estimated slope of a linear regression of mean stage vs. day of development.