Assessment of the USDA Biomass Harvest Trap (USDA-BHT) device as an insect harvest and mosquito surveillance tool

• DOI: 10.1093/jee/toae095
• Publication Date: 2024-07-06T07:57:10Z
• Authors: Paula Lado; D Christopher Rogers; Natalia Cernicchiaro; Sabrina Swistek; Kortnee Van Nest; Phillip Shults; Robert D Ewing; Danelle Okeson; Daniel Brabec; Lee W Cohnstaedt
• Keywords: Mosquito control

Abstract Insects are a promising source of high-quality protein, and the insect farming industry will lead to higher sustainability when it overcomes scaling up, cost effectiveness, automation. In contrast (raising breeding insects as livestock), wild harvesting (collecting agricultural pests), may constitute simple sustainable animal protein supplementation strategy. For harvest be successful sufficient biomass needs collected while simultaneously avoiding collection nontarget insects. We assessed performance USDA Biomass Harvest Trap (USDA-BHT) device collect flying mosquito surveillance tool. The USDA-BHT was compared other suction traps commonly used for (Centers Disease Control Prevention (CDC) light traps, Encephalitis virus Biogents Sentinel traps). harvested in statistically than one however collections between were not significantly different. some beneficial insects, although observed that their minimized at night. These findings coupled with fact sorting time separate mosquitoes from longer USDA-BHT, indicate use this conflicts its an efficient Nevertheless, efficiently biomass, thus can generate alternative feed.