Laboratory study on the effects of blood feeding interval and food amount for larvae on the population growth of Aedes albopictus (Diptera : Culicidae)

Abstract

Growth patterns of Aedes albopictus populations were investigated for 10 weeks under four environmental conditions in the laboratory. The environmental conditions of populations differed in two environmental factors, the interval of blood feeding (1 or 3 weeks) and the amount of larval food (25 or 12.5mg/week). Changes in larval and adult density, size of pupae and number of adults produced in each environment were examined. The pattern of larval population growth was different between populations with different blood feeding intervals, but the larval populations under different larval food conditions showed the similar pattern of growth. When a blood source was supplied weekly, the population achieved a higher density level of larvae and adults and the larval population showed weekly fluctuations. The sizes of female pupae were different under rich and poor larval food conditions, but no differences were observed in the size of pupae between populations with different intervals of blood feeding. The response of the population productivity to the different environmental conditions was analyzed and the interdependence between the two environmental factors was discussed.