Mosquito oviposition

Gravid female Aedes aegypti ovipositing eggs in water treated with tetradecanoic acid, an egg-laying stimulant.
Photos: Freddie-Jeanne Richard (left), Logu Ponnusamy right).

Charles Apperson‘s lab and my lab have collaborated for several years on studies of behavioral and chemical ecology of mosquito oviposition. Our long-term goal is to develop an area-wide management strategy for mosquito vectors that is based on their biology and behavior. We have been working to identify bacterial species and the active metabolites they produce that mediate the oviposition responses the disease vectors Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. We conduct behavioral bioassays, headspace collections, electroantennograms, and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.

Recent Collaborations:
Chuck Apperson
Dawn Wesson

Supported by:
National Institutes of Health
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (subcontract from Tulane University)
Blanton J. Whitmire Endowment