An ovillanta is a type of

mosquito trap Mosquito control manages the population of mosquitoes to reduce their damage to human health, economies, and enjoyment. Mosquito control is a vital public-health practice throughout the world and especially in the tropics because mosquitoes spr ...

Laurentian University Laurentian University (french: Université Laurentienne), officially the Laurentian University of Sudbury, is a mid-sized Bilingualism in Canada, bilingual public university in Greater Sudbury, Ontario, Canada, incorporated on March 28, 1960. Lau ...

Ontario, Canada Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

, and tested in cooperation with the Ministry of Health in Guatemala and with researchers in Mexico. The simple, low-cost trap allows efficient collection and disposal of mosquito eggs and larvae.

History

Laurentian University professor Gerardo Ulibarri, who has been studying ways to reduce numbers of mosquitoes since 2003, and had previously developed other types of mosquito control devices, began a study locally to find a way to reduce numbers of Culex mosquitoes which spread

West Nile virus West Nile virus (WNV) is a single-stranded RNA virus that causes West Nile fever. It is a member of the family ''Flaviviridae'', from the genus ''Flavivirus'', which also contains the Zika virus, dengue virus, and yellow fever virus. The virus ...

and other diseases. Ulibarri and his fellow researchers designed an inexpensive trap that they called an ovillanta. Preliminary studies showed that this type of trap can attract about seven times as many mosquito eggs as a conventional ovitrap, especially when more than one ovillanta are used in close proximity, which might be due to the ‘skip-oviposition’ characteristic of the Aedes mosquitoes. A ten-month follow-up study was conducted in northern Guatemala, where

Dengue fever Dengue fever is a mosquito-borne tropical disease caused by the dengue virus. Symptoms typically begin three to fourteen days after infection. These may include a high fever, headache, vomiting, muscle and joint pains, and a characterist ...

spread by

Aedes aegypti ''Aedes aegypti'', the yellow fever mosquito, is a mosquito that can spread dengue fever, chikungunya, Zika fever, Mayaro and yellow fever viruses, and other disease agents. The mosquito can be recognized by black and white markings on its legs ...

mosquitoes is a serious health problem, and where Zika virus may soon arrive. The study was funded by a Stars in Global Health grant from the Canadian government's

Grand Challenges Canada Grand Challenges Canada (GCC) is a Canadian nonprofit organization that uses a Grand Challenges model to fund solutions to critical health and development challenges in the developing world. The organization has supported over 1,000 projects in ...

program, and was conducting along with researchers from Mexico and with the Guatemala Ministry of Health. Results of the study were reported in 2016 and showed that the traps were particularly effective during the dry season when alternate egg-laying sites were scarce.

Trap design

The design for the trap was released in 2016. Each trap costs less than $4.00CAN to make. The trap consists of attractant-laced water in a section of discarded rubber tire into which a drain has been installed. The attractant ink to formula neededis milk-based. Mosquitoes lay eggs on a piece of paper floating in the water. At regular intervals the water is run through a filter and the paper replaced to remove any deposited eggs and larva. The water is then re-used, because mosquitoes release an 'oviposition' pheromone when they lay eggs, and other mosquitoes are attracted to water which contains this pheromone."How Canadian Scientists Plan to Fight Zika With Old Tires and Milk"
''Motherboard'', by Amanda Roth. April 7, 2016

References

{{reflist Insect repellents