61 - Establishing outdoor greenhouse insectaries for combating limited rearing space

Abstract: When rearing mosquito colonies many challenges may arise. Limited availability of space, high setup costs, non-ideal rearing conditions, and concern over accidental crossbreeding of colonies of the same species make establishing insectaries difficult or impossible for some districts. In this talk I will be discussing the establishment of outdoor greenhouse insectaries that can be a viable option for districts lacking the space to rear mosquitoes. In preparation for my thesis project through the University of Florida, I set up outdoor greenhouse insectaries at my residence to establish multiple local Pasco County Culex quinquefasciatus colonies. These colonies will be maintained year-round to investigate seasonal variation of insecticide resistance in the species. I believe that these outdoor insectaries could also be adopted year-round by mosquito control districts with limited space or temporarily for those that periodically need to scale up mosquito rearing for larger studies.