Description
Material provided: Data analysis and material collection of experimental activities
The experiments are conducted at the Mosquito Confined Release Facility (MCRF). It owns 2 confined released facilities: a CL2 installation of approximately 300m2 and a CL3 installation of 40m2. Both containment facilities are dedicated for experimental work with wildtype and genetically modified mosquitoes, and feature 2 insectaries for stock-keeping and 2 semi-fields with large climatic chambers of approximately 40 and 50 m3 components of a natural ecosystem for Anopheles and Aedes mosquitoes can be accommodated.
Climatic chambers are big enough to harbour tens of thousands of mosquitoes to simulate a full population, and equipped with advanced PID controller (Proportional Integral Derivative Controller) that allow an extremely fine regulation of heat and humidity in order to narrowly simulate the tropical climate. Their lights include three different color temperatures, designed to mimic the light cycle along the day, from dawn to dusk.
Users should provide their own mosquito colony/strain of interest, upon a specific agreement.
Services offered and possible experiments
Large cage experiments under near-natural condition in environmental chambers at biosafety level CL2.
Our service includes:
- Consultation on experimental design
- Rearing service : Culturing of mosquitoes (1 generation) for large-cage experiment
- Technical preparation of a large cage experiment
- Performance of a large cage experiment under semi-field conditions to observe the natural behaviour of mosquito populations at different adult densities. Population-specific parameters such as survival and oviposition can be monitored. In addition, behavioural parameters such as swarming behaviour and mating competitiveness can (only) be tested in large cage experiments.
- Data acquisition
- Analysis of data
Additional repeats may be available on request and may be offered at an add-on unit costs upon assessment of the nature and extent of work required.
Climatic chambers are equipped with advanced PID controller (Proportional Integral Derivative Controller) that allow an extremely fine regulation of heat and humidity in order to narrowly simulate the tropical climate.
Climatic chambers are equipped with lights of three different colour temperatures, designed to mimic the light cycle along the day, from dawn to dusk.
Experiments on insecticide response are excluded from our service.
For more information, please contact us.