Analysing the oviposition behaviour of malaria mosquitoes: design considerations for improving two-choice egg count experiments.

Background: Choice egg-count bioassays are a popular tool for analysing oviposition substrate preferences of gravid mosquitoes. This study aimed at improving the design of two-choice experiments for measuring oviposition substrates preferences of the malaria vector Anopheles gambiae senso lato, a mosquito that lays single eggs.

Methods: In order to achieve high egg-laying success of female An.

Effects of fungal infection on feeding and survival of Anopheles gambiae (Diptera: Culicidae) on plant sugars.

Background: The entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium anisopliae shows great promise for the control of adult malaria vectors. A promising strategy for infection of mosquitoes is supplying the fungus at plant feeding sites.

Methods: We evaluated the survival of fungus-exposed Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes (males and females) fed on 6% glucose and on sugars of Ricinus communis (Castor oil plant) and Parthenium hysterophorus (Santa Maria feverfew weed).