ObviousIy, accuracy in identification is critical to help determine the source of the mosquitoes and an appropriate control strategy. Be aware that the males in the collection may give you useful information. Some counties routinely identify and count the male mosquitoes. In some species, males can be a reliable indicator for the later emergence of females. When using data on male mosquitoes keep in mind that the factors which create variability in female mosquito behavior quite often influence males of the same species differently.
Some agencies use timers and others use electric eyes to operate their light traps.
While there has been no significant difference shown on their effect on light trap collections, traps will run at different times depending on which device is used. For consistency, it is suggested that agencies use either all timers or all electric eyes. To assure consistency traps should be calibrated at least every other year. The involvement of computers in mosquito control programs dramatically increases the speed at which these data can be processed and with the use of computer graphics the data can be prepared for presentation. Some counties have been successful in adapting Lotus 123 for light trap data processing and others are writing their own programs for this purpose.