Paper Information

Urban mosquito abundance reflects not only temperature and rainfall but also other aspects of the local environment. We quantified species-specific responses to hydrometeorology in Norman, Oklahoma, using two seasons (2023-2024) of weekly data collected with CO2-baited BG-Sentinel traps at four sites. Daily meteorological observations were obtained from the Oklahoma Mesonet. The most abundant species were Aedes albopictus (Skuse), Aedes trivittatus (Coquillett), and the Culex pipiens Linnaeus/Culex quinquefasciatus Say complex. We modeled environmental relationships using negative binomial generalized additive models that incorporated linear distributed lags (0-56 days) and selected parsimonious combinations of predictors based on AICc. Ae. albopictus abundance was associated with shallow soil moisture (5 cm fractional water index) and drought (Standardized Precipitation-Evapotranspiration Index); abundance increased with drier conditions at short lags and with wetter conditions at longer lags. Ae. trivittatus was associated with mean temperature, shallow soil moisture, and solar radiation. Abundance increased with drier soils at short lags and with warm, sunny conditions and higher soil moisture at longer lags. Cx. pipiens/quinquefasciatus abundance increased with maximum temperature and exhibited a similar relationship with vapor pressure deficit. These results demonstrate that soil moisture, drought indices, and solar radiation capture hydrologic and atmospheric constraints that are often overlooked. Incorporating hydrometeorological variables can improve ecological interpretation and provide actionable indicators for timing urban mosquito control in the southern Great Plains.