The importance of agricultural tire habitats for mosquitoes of public health importance in New York State

The presence of mosquito species breeding in agricultural "bunker tires" on dairy farms in New York state was evaluated. Twelve species of mosquitoes (Aedes vexans, Anopheles barberi, An. punctipenriis, An. perplexens, Culex pipiens pipiens, Cx. restuans, Cx. salinarius, Cx. territans, Toxorhynchites rutilus septentrionalis, Ochlerotatus atropalpus, Oc. japonicus japonicus, and Oc. triseriatus) were collected from 8 New York state dairy farms in 2001 and from 17 dairy farms in 2002. All but 2 of these species have been found naturally infected with arboviruses and could be important vectors affecting human and animal health. Because of the potential public and animal health importance of the invasive species Oc. j. japonicus, active surveillance to identify breeding sites and distribution of this mosquito is essential. In 2001, Oc. j. japonicus was recovered from 5 of 8 central New York dairy farms surveyed. In 2002, Oc. j. japonicus was recovered from 4 of the same dairy farms plus an additional dairy out of 5 surveyed. This species appears to be established on dairy farms in the south, central, and eastern regions of New York state, with greatest abundance in the southeastern region. A single Oc. j. japonicus larva was collected from the northern region on the final sampling date in September 2002. Our data demonstrate that agricultural tire habitats can be productive breeding sites for arbovirus vectors. As a consequence, these habitats should not be ignored in vector control and surveillance programs.