Paved Paradise: Below ground parking structures sustain urban mosquito populations in Washington, D.C

• Published in: Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association Vol. 37; no. 4; pp. 291 - 295
• Main Authors: Arsenault-Benoit, Arielle, Greene, Albert, Fritz, Megan L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01.12.2021
• ISSN: 8756-971X; 1943-6270
• DOI: 10.2987/21-7023

After notification of mosquitoes within federal buildings in Washington, District of Columbia, we surveyed below ground levels of nearby parking structures for mosquitoes and standing water in the summer months of 2018 and 2019. Aedes aegypti, Aedes albopictus , and members of the Culex pipiens Assemblage were found. Genotyping revealed pipiens , molestus , and quinquefasciatus ancestry among Cx. pipiens Assemblage mosquitoes, and allele frequency comparisons indicated a stable, resident population. Winter and spring temperatures above ground temperatures ranged from −11°C to 35°C, while below ground temperatures never dropped below 5°C or exceeded 30°C, and winter temperatures were significantly higher below ground compared to above ground. Moderated winter conditions suggest that below ground urban structures could act as refugia for warmer climate species, like Ae. aegypti and Cx. quinquefasciatus , allowing them to overcome assumed thermal barriers. Surveys of parking structures should be incorporated into integrated vector management programs in urban areas.