The Impact of Urban Dairy Cattle Farming On Mosquito Productivity in Tanga, North-East Tanzania

Abstract

A study to  assess  mosquito  breeding  potential  of  cattle  water  troughs  was carried out in Tanga  Municipality,  north-east  Tanzania.  Mosquito eggs, larvae and pupae were searched in cattle water troughs in 173 randomly selected domestic premises. Of the surveyed troughs, 30.1% were infested with pre­ imaginal stages of culicine mosquitoes. Culex  quinquefasciatus  formed  the highest  proportion  (76.5%).  Other mosquito species   included   Aedes  aegypti (15 .6 %), C. cinereus (7 . 0 %), C. decens (0 .8 %) and  C. annulioris (0.1%). The mean density of mosquito larvae found in the study area was 1001 per water trough. Although most of the farmers  claimed  to clean  and  replace  water  in the troughs frequently, 14.8%, 22.8% and 46 .3% of those replacing water every day, after every two days and after every  three  days  respectively,  had their troughs containing immature stages of mosquito, Mosquito larvae  or pupae were absent  in all troughs  that were  harbouring  tadpoles.