A Method of Tagging Prairie Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) with Radio-Phosphorus

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Abstract
Bugher and Taylor (1949) and Hassett and Jenkins (1949) reared highly radio-active adults of Aedes aegypti (L.) from larvae kept in a solution of radioactive phosphorus. Jenkins and Hassett (1949) obtained radio-active adults of Aedes pullatus (Coq.) and Aedes excrucians (Wlk.) with an average radio-activity of 4,300 counts per minute by rearing larvae in ponds to which radio-active phosphorus was added. Jenkins and Hassett (1951), with sub-Arctic mosquitoes, chiefly Aedes communis (Deg.), produced adults with radio-activity from 100 to 3,770 counts per minute from larvae reared in vats of P32 solution; adults released and recaptured in the field had an average radio-activity of 915 counts per minute. Thurman and Husband (1951) tagged larvae with P32 and released 400,000 adult mosquitoes in California. Of this number, 249 adults were recaptured at distances up to 1⅞ mi. downwind and 1½ mi. upwind from the release point. Yates et al. (1951) and Hassett and Jenkins (1951) produced radio-active adults of Aedes sticticus (Meig.) and Aedes aegypti (L.) by allowing them to feed on P32 solutions; the radio-activity was readily detectable with a Geiger counter for as long 13 days.