Accounting for spatial variation in weather factors predicts spatial variations in Culex quinquefasciatus abundance in the Desert Southwest

Our study demonstrated the importance of collecting fine-scale mosquito abundance data to improve our understanding and the predictability of mosquito population dynamics. The strong performance of both the cluster-based and county-level models illustrated the value of spatially sensitive modeling in this application. We anticipate that such modeling efforts will aid in using weather forecasts to predict increases in mosquito populations, thereby aiding in efforts to control the spread of infectious disease.