Although comparatively few mosquito species regularly rest in human and
animal habitations many of those that do are important vectors of malaria,
filariasis and more rarely arboviruses,and hence have been the subject of
considerable study.
Mosquitoes are usually caught from houses and animal quarters using
manual or mechanical aspirators or by knock-down pyrethrum spray collections.
Hand-held or head-mounted torches are frequently used to both locate
indoor resting mosquitoes and also to aid the collection of adults that have
been knocked down by space spraying. The light source should not be so
powerful that it causes resting mosquitoes to take flight when they are illuminated. When collecting mosquitoes from African huts Haddow (1942)
placed greaseproof paper over the torch to diffuse the light. Grimstad and
DeFoliart (1974) collected mosquitoes visiting flowers at night with a
torch strapped to the head that used a red filter over the bulb. The use of
red filters or bulbs has also often been used in bait collections to reduce the
likelihood of disturbing mosquitoes settling on the bait.