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Preliminary Report of a Mosquito Survey, Isle Royale National Park

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Preliminary Report of a Mosquito Survey, Isle Royale National Park · '!l\LE N/1TIONAl PRE.L.IM INARY REPORI ?F RECEIVED DEC 14 1961 A MOSQUITO SURVE~ AT ISLE ROYALE NATIONAL PARK, MICHIGAN ISLE ROYALE NATIONAL PARK 48° N. LAT. SUPERIOR By Leslie D. Beadle, Entomologist U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEAL TH, EDUCATION, AND WELFARE PUBLIC HEAL TH SERVICE Communicable Disease Center Technology Branch Atlanta, Georgia December 1961 PRELIMINARY REPORT OF A MOSQUITO SURVEY AT ISLE ROYALE NATIONAL PARK, MICHIGAN INTRODUCTION A mosquito survey was conducted on Isle Royale (Keweenaw County, Michigan) at the request of the National Park Service. Technical consultation was provided by the Communicable Disease Center through an inter-agency arrangement between the National Park Service and the Region V office of the u. s. Public Health Service. The writer visited Isle Royale National Park during the period July 15-30, 1961, for the purpose of evaluating the mosquito problem. METHOD OF STUDY Adult Insect Collections Because of the lateness of the season, emphasis was given to an adult mosquito survey. Mosquito biting collections were made in the following areas: (1) Rock Harbor Lodge> (2) Mott Island, (3) Stoll Trail, (4) Windigo-Greenstone Ridge Trail, (5) Rock Harbor Trail, (6) Raspberry Island, (7) Hidden Lake, (8) Tobin Creek, (9) Malone Bay, (10) Lake Richie, (11) Moskey Basin, (12) Lake Ojibway, and (13) Daisy Farm Trail. The mosquitoes were taken by means of a chloroform killing tube as they attempted to bite the collector. The majority of the collections were made by one person (LDB). The collecting periods were 15 minutes in length, and each collection varied from one to eight 15-minute periods (i.e. from 15 minutes to 2 hours). The majority of the collections were made in the Rock Harbor Lodge area. In this area, most of the collections were made in the evening. In the other areas, the majority of the collections were made in the afternoon. Incidental collections of other types of biting insects were made; these included biting gnats (no-see-urns or punkies), black flies, horse flies, and deer flies. A New Jersey type mosquito light trap was established at 3 locations-­ Rock Harbor Lodge, Mott Island, and Windigo. These traps were operated nightly from mid-July until the first of September. Larval Mosquito Survey Potential mosquito breeding areas were sampled by means of a white enamel dipper. Collections of larvae were made in the following areas: Mott Island, Rock Harbor Lodge, Windigo, Rock Harbor Trail, Tobin Creek, Moskey Basin, and Siskiwit mine (abandoned). FINDINGS Mosquito Biting Collections A summary,of the mosquito biting collections is given in table 1. Detailed information on these collections is included in table 5 (appendix). It will be noted that 2,791 mosquitoes (14 species) were taken in the biting collections and the principal species were: Aedes communis (32%), Mansonia perturbans (28%), Aedes fitchii (25%), and Aedes punctor (8%). Mosquito Light Trap Collections A total of 875 specimens (male and female) was taken during the period July 16-Sept. 4, 1961 (table 1). Total collections by week are shown in table 6 (appendix). The principal species were: Mansonia perturbans (44%), Culex restuans (15%), Aedes vexans (9%), Aedes dommunis (7%), Aedes punctor (7%), and Aedes fitchii (5%). A significant reduction in mosquito populations occurred following the end of July. - 2 - Table 1 Summary of Mosquito Biting and Light Trap Collections Isle Royale National Park 1961 Collections Species Bitin_g_* Li_g_ht Tr~s** Total % Total*** % Aedes aurifer 4 x 0 0 canadensis 22 x 7 x cinereus 23 x 8 x communis 906 32.4 65 7.4 diantaeus 34 1.2 2 x decticus 3 x 0 0 dorsalis 0 0 1 x excrucians 78 2.8 14 1.6 fitchii 684 24.5 45 5.1 pionips 7 x 1 x punctor 234 8.4 59 6.7 trichurus 8 x 3 x triseriatus 0 0 1 x vexans 2 x 82 9.4 Anopheles ear lei 0 0 6 x punctipennis 0 0 4 x walkeri 6 x 5 x Cu lex restuans 0 0 134 15.3 salinarius 0 0 4 x territans 0 0 30 3.4 Culiseta impatiens 0 0 5 x inornata 0 0 12 1.4 •• melanura 0 0 6 x Mansonia per turbans 780 27.9 381 43,.5 Total 2,791 875 * Period: July 15-29, 1961 ** Period: July 16-Sept. 4, 1961 (3 traps operated nightly) *** Males included X Indicates less than 1% - 3 - Larval Mosquito Collections With the exception of Aedes canadensis, all specimens collected were permanent-water breeders (table 2). The species taken were: ~nopheles earlei, Anopheles punctipennis, Culex restuans, Culex territans, and Culiseta impatiens. Miscellaneous Insect Biting Collections A summary of these collections is given in table 3. The black flies, deer flies, and horse flies were found to be minor pests during the day- time. The biting gnats were most active in the evening at about sunset. The relative importance of mosquitoes compared with other biting insects on Isle Royale was shown in a collection made in the Malone Bay area on July 26, 1961. A collecting party of 5 persons (the writer, Phil Shelton--a research specialist on beavers--, and 3 boys) captured biting insects that landed on our bodies during a 2-hour period (1:00 - 3:00 p.m.) as we walked along a stream and marsh and through woods. The following insects were taken: Mosquitoes: 99 Aedes communis 35 Aedes punctor 32 Aedes diantaeus 14 Aedes excrucians 10 Aedes fitchii 4 Mansonia perturbans 2 Aedes aurifer 1 Aedes cinereus 1 Black flies (Simulium venustum) 9 Deer flies (Chrysops excitans 6, 7 Q. sackeni 1) Biting gnats (Culicoides sanguisugg_) ~ Total biting insects 117 - 4 - Table 2 Larval Mosquito Survey. Isle Royale National Park July 16-28, 1961 Sta Type of Station Location Species No. To~ 1. Ditch pools Mott Island Culex restuans 17 2. Pools of water at edge Rock Harbor Lodge Culex restuans 12 of swamp 3. Sand filters-sewage Rock Harbor Lodge Culex restuans 20 disposal· system 4. Uprooted tree in swamp Rock Harbor Lodge Culex territans 11 5. Cold-water pool in swamp Rock Harbor Lodge Culex restuans 3 Culiseta impatiens 16 6. Uprooted tree in swamp Rock Harbor Lodge Culex restuans 9 Culiseta impatiens 12 7. Uprooted tree in swamp Rock Harbor Lodge Culex terrftans 1 Culiseta impatiens 15 8. Sewage lagoon Windigo Culex restuans 12 9. Uprooted tree along trail Rock Harbor Trail Aedes canadensis 3 10. Ponded creek areas Tobin Creek Anopheles earlei I 15 I Anopheles punctipennisl 20 ! 11. Ponded area of creek Moskey Basin Anopheles earlei 3 Pond 3/4 mile NW of Anopheles earlei 24 112. Siskiwit mine dump Beaver dam pond Tobin Creek Culex territans 16 113. Anopheles earlei 5 Anopheles punctipennis 2 Culex restuans 2 14. Pond with Luzula Tobin Creek Culex territans 8 (wood rush) Anopheles earlei 4 15. Beaver dam pond Tobin Creek Anopheles earlei 8 - 5 - Table 3 Summary of Miscellaneous Biting Insect Collections Isle Royale National Park July 15-29, 1961 Group Species No. Collected Biting gnats Culicoides sanguisuga* 21 Black flies Simulium venustum 10 Deer flies Chrysops excitans 18 Chrysops carbonarius 7 Chrysops mi tis 2 Chrysops sackeni 1 Chrysops shermani 1 Horse flies Tabanus nivosus 2 Hvbomitra trepida 1 * Culicoides sanguisuga (Coquillett)= obsoletus of authors in part. - 6 .. Table 4 Weather Records for Isle Royale (Mott Island) May-August. 1961, and Corresponding Averages 1961 1961 Average No. Years TemEerature Extremes PreciEitation Precipitation in Average Maximum Minimum Jan. 2.29 3 Feb. 1.91 3 Mar. .89 3 Apr. 2.30 5 May 2. 73 2.62 15 79 26 June 1.89 3.41 17 77 37 July 2.94 2. 71 16 75 45 Aug. 1.53 2.83 18 78 46 - 7 - DISCUSSION Twenty-four species* of mosquitoes were collected on Isle Royale during the special mosquito survey in 1961. One of these species-- Culiseta melanura--is recognized as the primary enzootic vector** of Eastern encephalitis ("sleeping sickness"). Ruman cases of this disease, however, have not been reported in Michigan. From the standpoint of public health, the most important mosquitoes on Isle Royale are those that attack man readily and cause severe annoy- ance. The survey demonstrated that 4 species of mosquitoes cause major annoyance in the Park. These species comprise 2 great groups--snow-pool mosquitoes and Mansonia mosquitoes. The snow-pool mosquitoes--Aedes communis, Aedes fitchii, and Aedes ePnctor--are all typically forest species. The larvae develop in melting snow pools in the spring. The adults emerge about mid-June and are troublesome for at least 6 weeks. Biting occurs anytime of the day, but the attacks are most severe in deep shade and at dusk. There is only one generation annually. Eggs which are laid in moist depressions during the summer months do not hatch u~til the following spring, when they are subject to flooding by snowmelt. Although definite information on the flight range of these mosquitoes is lacking, it is generally believed that the adults seldom travel more than 1 or 2 miles from their source. *Two of the species--Aedes dorsalis and Aedes pionips--had not previously been reported from Michigan. **Enzootic vector may be defined as a vector that transfers infection from wild host to wild host (wild host would be a bird in the case of Eastern encephalitis). - 8 .. Since the mosquito survey was conducted in July, it was not possible to locate breeding places of snow-pool mosquitoes. One of the greatest needs at Isle Royale National Park is a mosquito survey early in the season to locate major sources of snow-pool (Aedes) mosquitoes--particularly sources located within 1 mile of concentra­ tions of human population, such as Rock Harbor Lodge, Windigo Inn, and the Park Headquarters on Mott Island.
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