Mosquito Prevalence in Urban Versus Rural Areas in the Bryan/College Station Area in Brazos County, Texas

The Bryan/College Station area in Texas is plagued with many diseases vectored by mosquitoes annually. In this mosquito survey, the main objective was to compare and contrast the genus and species of mosquitoes that were natural to both urban and rural areas of Bryan/College Station. Starting from late February of 2014, mosquitoes were collected in both urban and rural areas with mosquito larvae dippers and adult brooders. The results showed that in the urban areas of Bryan/College Station, Culex tarsalis (Coquillett) (Diptera: Culicidae) and Culex quinquefasciatus (Say) (Diptera: Culicidae) were abundant. The results for rural areas showed that Aedes vexans (Meigen) (Diptera: Culicidae) and Culiseta inornata (Williston) (Diptera: Culicidae) were abundant. In pastoral areas there is a lot of livestock, so the mosquitoes that were present were more specific to livestock. The mosquitoes collected in urban areas are mostly adapted for feeding on human hosts. Knowing what mosquito is more prominent in what location will help a great deal in controlling these vectors.