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1996 Hawaii Conservation Conference
Julie K. Lease, Robert J. Dusek, and Carter T. Atkinson.
Pacific Islands Science Center, U.S. Geological Survey, Biological Resources Division, P.O. Box 218, Hawaii National Park, HI 96718
FERAL PIG CONTROL IS EFFECTIVE IN REDUCING MOSQUITO POPULATIONS.
Few options are currently available for controlling mosquito-transmitted avian pox and malaria. Feral ungulates, particularly pigs, are believed to contribute to increased disease transmission and the decline of native forest bird populations by creating more breeding habitat for the primary mosquito vector, Culex quinquefasciatus. We tested the effectiveness of habitat management through feral animal control as a means of reducing breeding sites and populations of adult mosquitoes. Adult Culex were sampled with oviposition traps inside and outside a 640 acre feral pig exclosure in Ola'a Forest in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park during the fall of 1994 and 1995. The fenced exclosure has been pig-free since 1986 and pig-damaged tree fern logs, which are preferred breeding sites of Culex, had decayed and disappeared as native understory plants regenerated. Trapping effort was equal inside (592 trap nights) and immediately outside (602 trap nights) the exclosure where feral pig activity was high. Approximately half as many adult Culex were captured inside the exclosure (627 mosquitoes) as outside (1308 mosquitoes). These results provide the first hard evidence that feral pig control may be an effective management tool for reducing mosquito populations. |
