Digital Commons Network^™

Mosquito Image Classification Using Convolutional Neural Networks, Sumanth Vissamsetty

LSU Master's Theses

Human life has always been affected by insects, especially mosquitoes, since it's early beginnings. This pesky insect acts as a vector that transmit pathogens through feeding on our blood, spreading life-threatening diseases like Zika Virus, Malaria, Dengue fever, Chikungunya and more. It is important to prevent these mosquitoes from harming humans and one way to do so is to control the mosquito population, or mosquito abatement as it is commonly known. It is important to note that not all mosquitoes are the same and each of them live, reproduce and attack in their own unique way. Hence it is crucial …

Effects Of Dietary Sugars And Sugar Alcohols On Mortality And Thermal Tolerance In Culex Quinquefasciatus And Aedes Aegypti, Madeleine Chura

LSU Master's Theses

Aedes aegypti (L. 1762), the yellow fever mosquito, and Culex quinquefasciatus Say 1823, the southern house mosquito, are prevalent in tropical and subtropical areas worldwide and are responsible for the spread of a number of devastating diseases to humans and livestock. The development of new control methods, as well as continued study of mosquito biology, is vital for improving human health. This study aimed to examine the efficacy of sugar alcohols as a novel means for mosquito control, as well as how sugar alcohols and other factors are involved in thermal tolerance in mosquitoes.

No-choice tests with the sugar alcohols …

The Effects Of Juvenile Exposure To Sub-Lethal Concentrations Of Pesticides On The Adult Reproductive Biology Of The Male Southern House Mosquitoe, Culex Quinquefasciatus, Shiloh Dean Judd

LSU Master's Theses

Mosquitoes transmit pathogens capable of causing significant diseases, the worst of which can permanently disfigure or kill. Mosquito control efforts can be strengthened by better understanding all aspects of mosquito biology, but there is deficient information regarding sperm production in male mosquitoes. Understanding the sperm production and capacity of vector species may reveal new control strategies.

The goal of this research was to determine if larval exposure to sub-lethal concentrations, defined as killing less than half of the sample population, of pesticides negatively impacts the adult male reproductive health of the southern house mosquito, Culex quinquefasciatus Say. This study quantified …

The Effects Of Spinosad On Culex Quinquefasciatus (Diptera: Culicidae) And Non-Target Insect Species, Owen Mcbride Jones

LSU Master's Theses

Spinosad is a relatively new insecticide with a unique mode of action that is being evaluated for control of larval mosquitoes. Whereas a number of toxicological studies have measured effects of spinosad on various mammals, fish, birds, and terrestrial arthropods, fewer studies have been conducted on the effects of spinosad on non-target aquatic insect species. Such studies are important as these species might be found in the same environments as mosquito larvae targeted for control. A neighborhood pond was surveyed to find a representative species of mosquito as well as other common aquatic insects with which to examine susceptibility to …

Association Of Esterases In Resistance To Naled And Resmethrin In The Southern House Mosquito, Culex Quinquefasciatus, Jennifer R. Gordon

LSU Master's Theses

The vector-competency and its affinity for humans make C. quinquefasciatus an important target of mosquito abatement programs. Whenever such control programs are implemented, protocols to monitor frequencies and mechanisms of resistance to the insecticides used are necessary to optimize the efficacy of the management strategy and to slow development of resistance to the insecticides used. In the current study, susceptibilities to the two adulticides used by EBRMARC (naled and resmethrin) were monitored using field-collected mosquitoes and a topical and contact bioassay, respectively. My hypothesis was that esterase-mediated enhanced metabolism conferred resistance to both insecticides in populations of C. quinquefasciatus from …