Quantifying the spatial dependence of Culicoides midge samples collected by Onderstepoort-type blacklight traps: an experimental approach to infer the range of attraction of light traps

The emergence of bluetongue disease in Europe has led several countries to rapidly establish large-scale entomological surveys of its vectors, which are midges belonging to the genus Culicoides Latreille, 1809 (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae). These surveys have largely been based on the use of Onderstepoort-type blacklight traps. However, the range of attraction of the traps and the spatial dependence of the samples they provide are unknown, which somewhat complicates subsequent analyses. This paper investigates spatial interaction between Onderstepoort-type blacklight traps based on catches at a central trap placed close to two traps set in consecutive on/off modes. The spatial interaction is inferred from the drop in the number of midges collected in the central trap when nearby traps positioned at 50 m, 100 m or 200 m are turned on. The results showed a significant spatial interaction between traps separated by 50 m for female Culicoides obsoletus/Culicoides scoticus and Culicoides dewulfi. No significant interaction was found for female Culicoides of other species, for male Culicoides, or for traps spaced at ≥100 m. Based on the experimental design geometry and on simple assumptions on the distribution of Culicoides midges in the neighbourhood of the traps, the paper also presents a method to infer the range of attraction of the traps.