Evaluation of 4 adult trap types including the newly developed VectorCube for surveillance of multiple vector groups

Comprehensive risk assessment for vector-borne disease requires effective monitoring of various vector groups. However, this depends on the traps' ability to capture multiple vector families. This study compares 3 commercially available traps, BG-Sentinel 2, BG-Trap Station as a combination of a BG-Pro and Gravid trap, and the Encephalitis Virus Surveillance trap, with the VectorCube, a newly developed prototype. Multiple openings enable multidirectional vector capture, and color cues can be easily attached and changed. All traps were tested under a uniform, carbon dioxide flow rate at 10 sampling sites (6 in Germany and 4 in Gabon) using a 4 × 4 Latin square design. Each site completed at least 1 full Latin square rotation, resulting in 48 trap comparison days. A total of 3,477 blood-seeking insects from 6 families were captured: 2,797 Culicidae, 324 Simuliidae, 268 Ceratopogonidae, 76 Muscidae, 8 Glossinidae, and 4 Psychodidae. Most Culicidae were collected with the BG-Sentinel 2 followed by the VectorCube. The VectorCube captured the majority of Simuliidae, Muscidae, and Glossinidae observed in this study, while Psychodidae were exclusively collected with BG-Sentinel 2 and BG-Trap Station in Gabon. Mean family richness per trapping session was highest in the VectorCube, followed by BG-Sentinel 2, BG-Trap Station, and Encephalitis Virus Surveillance trap. Overall, the VectorCube and BG-Sentinel 2 demonstrated the highest performance in vector abundance and diversity, driven primarily by high Culicidae catches, whereas captures of non-mosquito hematophagous Diptera occured at lower frequencies and were more site-dependent, including sporadic captures of larger-bodied vectors such as Muscidae and Glossinidae.