Criaderos de Culicoides paraensis y opciones para combatirlos mediante el ordenamiento del medio

Abstract

The biting midge Culicoidesparaensis (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) is a major pest in urban parts of the Amazon Basin, not only because its bite produces physical discomfort and skin reactions, but also because it is the primary vector for many urban outbreaks of Oropouche virus disease. Studies on the breeding sites of C. paraensis were conducted at an agricultural research station in Belem, Brazil, during 1977 and 1978. A variety of emergence traps were employed to quantify numbers of adult C. paraensis produced in decaying banana-plant stalks, stumps, and leaf axils; discarded cacao hulls, leaf litter; and marsh habitats. Banana stalks were found to yield large numbers of C. paraensis, while cacao hulls turned out to be second most productive habitat. Decaying banana stalks and cacao hulls are common refuse materials resulting from the cultivation of cacao and banana plants in urban and semiurban areas and on cacao plantations in the Amazon Basin. This article includes suggestions for the control of C. paraensis through elimination of these materials