Abundance and diversity of mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) associated with irrigation of south central Nebraska

Abstract Irrigation of agricultural fields can be associated with increased mosquito abundance and increased prevalence of several mosquito-borne disease pathogens. Nebraska has over 90,000 active irrigation wells and is the leading US state for irrigation with nearly 9 million irrigated acres. Nebraska also has one of the highest per capita annual incidence rates of human West Nile virus. Several studies have demonstrated a relationship between WNV human incidence and irrigation at the regional and national level. Our goal is to understand how agro-ecological factors influence WNV human risk at the landscape level. The objective of this study is to assess if irrigation type influences mosquito diversity and abundance. Mosquito immatures and adults will be collected from overhead irrigation (center pivot) and surface irrigation (flood and/or furrow) sites. Results will be analyzed and presented.