Abstract
A survey of the mosquito fauna of Asaba, the Delta State capital of Southwestern
Nigeria was undertaken between January and March 2009. The mosquito breeding
sites, distribution, abundance and the influence of ecological factors on the
mosquito population were determined. Asaba metropolis was subdivided into five
zones based on population and human activities. Ovitraps were used to sample the
Aedes mosquito populations. Larvae were collected once weekly using ladles,
bowls, sieves and specimen bottles. Ecological sites studied were drains ground
pools, discard vehicle tyres, domestic containers, tree holes and leaf axils. A total
of 7,337 mosquitoes comprised of two mosquito genera (Aedes and culex) and
three mosquito species, Aedes aegypti, Aedes albopictus and culex
quinquetasciatus were collected, C. quinquefasciatus 6,431(87.7%) formed the
bulk of the collection of the 7,337 larvae, drains yielded 6,202 (84.53%) of the
collection. out of 960 ovitraps set, 291 (31.1%) w
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Mosquitoes are widely distributed throughout the world and they utilize different
water bodies for their breeding (WHO, 1982). Many species breed in both natural
and arti