UF/IFAS Scientists Seek To Lure Mosquitoes, Build Better Surveillance System for Southeast Region With USDA-NIFA Grant

Mosquitoes’ sense of smell tells them when humans and wildlife are in biting distance, according to science. Over time, scientists have learned which types of scents and fragrances can lure mosquitoes best.

Over the next two years, a team of researchers from the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) will develop a low-cost mosquito trap to lure mosquitoes and create a web-based dashboard to improve surveillance across the southeast United States. 

Yoosook Lee and Lindsay Campbell, assistant professors of entomology and nematology at the UF/IFAS Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory, are the recipients and co-principal investigators on a $296,143 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). Lee, who specializes in molecular ecology, and Campbell, who focuses on spatial ecology, will collaborate with Brian Byrd of Western Carolina University. 

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