What is the purpose of oviposition traps?

• A. Light traps
• B. CO2-baited traps
• C. Gravid traps
• D. Oviposition traps

Answer: (D)

Oviposition traps are surveillance tools that lure gravid female mosquitoes to lay eggs in a controlled container, allowing you to collect and count the eggs (or the early-life stages) to gauge how many mosquitoes are actively attempting to breed and which species are present. They exploit the mosquitoes’ preference for suitable standing-water breeding sites, often using a dark container and a nutrient-rich water infusion to attract egg layers. This gives communities a practical readout of container-breeding activity and helps guide control actions like source reduction and targeted larviciding. In contrast, light traps and CO2-baited traps target host-seeking adults to estimate overall adult mosquito abundance, while gravid traps catch gravid females, but the oviposition trap’s primary purpose is to sample and quantify egg-laying activity.