Comparative Study on the Abundance of Mosquitoes in Temporary and Permanent Habitats in AWKA, ANAMBRA STATE

A study on the abundance of mosquitoes in temporary and permanent habitats in Nnamdi Azikiwe University hostel and Ifite environs was carried out in five different locations in the two sites. Ovitraps were used to collect eggs of mosquitoes and dip method was adopted in the sampling of habitats for larvae. The eggs and larvae collected were allowed to emerge into adults before the identification was done. The results obtained showed that five mosquito species namely Aedesa egypti, Anopheles funestus, Anopheles gambiae, Culex tigripes, Culex quinquifasciatus were identified from all the sampled sites. Also, Aedes albopictus was collected from the ovitraps and they are all efficient vectors of malaria, yellow fever and arboviruses. Of all the habitats sampled, temporary habitats had the highest abundance of mosquito species, 29(36.71%) in NnamdiAzikiwe University hostels and 33(36.26%) in Ifite environs. Statistical analysis revealed that the abundance of mosquito species in temporary and permanent habitats was significantly different, (P < 0.05) from each other. Aedes aegypti was found to have the highest abundance in temporary habitats while Culext igripes was found to have the least abundance in permanent habitats. Keywords: Abundance of Mosquitoes, Temporary and Permanent Habitats.