We investigated the role of socio-economic factors in the proliferation of mosquito vectors in two adjacent but socio-economically contrasting neighborhoods in Baton Rouge, LA, USA. We surveyed mosquito larvae habitat, mosquito larvae, and adult mosquitoes during the summer of 2020. We also evaluated the number of requests for mosquito abatement services in the years preceding the study for each area. While we did not find differences in terms of the most abundant species, Culex quinquefasicatus (F1,30 = 0.329, p = 0.57), we did find a higher abundance of mosquito habitats, particularly discarded tires, as well as larvae (z = 13.83, p < 0.001) and adults (F1,30 = 4.207, p = 0.049) of the species Aedes albopictus in the low-income neighborhood. In contrast, mosquito abatement requests were significantly higher in the high socio-economic neighborhood (z = −8.561, p < 0.001). This study shows how factors such as adjudicated properties, discarded tires and pest abatement requests can influence the abundance of mosquito vectors, disproportionately affecting low-income groups. This study also highlights how Aedes spp. may be better indicators than Culex spp. of socio-economic differences between nearby neighborhoods, due to their short flight range and habitat preferences, and this should be considered in future studies attempting to detect such disparities in the future.
The ecological role of mosquito larvae in aquatic environments