Abstract:
The relatively large number of Culicoides midges (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) that can be
collected with a light trap makes it the most widely used tool for this purpose. However, the
majority of these traps were originally designed for collecting mosquitoes. The evaluation
and improvement of traps to increase their effectiveness in collecting Culicoides midges will
unavoidably form part of research on these insects. In the present study the efficiency of the
Triple trap for collecting livestock-associated Culicoides midges was compared with that of
the Onderstepoort 220 V, the BG-sentinel and the mini-CDC traps. A unique feature of the
Triple trap is that selected surfaces are coated with TiO2 (titanium dioxide) which, in the
presence of ultra violet light, acts as a photo-catalyser to produce CO2, which in turn may
attract blood-feeding insects. Overall, the Onderstepoort trap collected significantly higher
numbers of midges than the others. Relative efficiency varied between different occasions and
under some conditions, for example periods with low midge abundance during the winter,
the mean numbers collected with the Triple trap did not differ significantly from those of the
Onderstepoort or BG-sentinel traps. By replacing the collection chamber of the Triple trap
with a sock and beaker, similar to that of the Onderstepoort trap, it can effectively be used for
the collection of Culicoides midges.
