Light and hens as attraction factors of Nyssomyia whitmani in a rural area, Southern Brazil

OBJECTIVE: To verify the influence of traps with electric light and hens as factors that attract sandflies and compare results between capture methods. METHODS: The study was conducted in the Palmital Farm, Southern Brazil. Sandfly collections were conducted with Falc?o traps and an electric aspirator, fortnightly, between 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. in the presence or absence of light and hens in peridomiciliary areas, from September 1998 to June 1999. RESULTS: A total of 43,767 specimens from eight species of sandflies were collected: Nyssomyia whitmani, N. neivai and Migonemyia migonei constituting 99.9% of the total collected, with predominance of N. whitmani. The number of this species collected inside the hen's shed in the presence of hens (21,045) was greater than in their absence (10,434). In the presence of hens, with distinct intensities of light, a larger number of N. whitmani samples were collected with 3W light. In the presence of hens and light (3W), the number of N. whitmani collected with the electric aspirator (5,141) was superior to that collected with the Falc?o trap (1,675). In the absence of light, with or without the presence hens, there was no difference between the numbers of N. whitmani collected with the electric aspirator or the Falc?o trap. CONCLUSIONS: Hens and electric light together attract more N. whitmani to peridomicilary areas. The number of N. whitmani collected with an electric aspirator inside a hen's shed with the presence of hens and light is greater than those collected with a Falc?o trap in the same conditions.