Mosquitos at Emory campus

Mosquitos at Emory campus

A lot of mosquitos are at the Emory campus. It is rare to have a lot of mosquitos in a campus, especially in an urban environment. What happens? Here is part of the answer from Grok.

Emory is a global hub for mosquito research, which inadvertently draws and studies mosquito populations on campus. The Rollins School of Public Health and Department of Environmental Sciences lead efforts on vector-borne diseases, often collecting and rearing mosquitoes for experiments. This can lead to localized increases:

·       Field Studies and Labs: Gonzalo Vazquez-Prokopec's lab (a leading expert) conducts urban ecology research on metro Atlanta mosquitoes, including Culex species that vector West Nile virus (WNV). A 2019 Emory report noted high WNV detection in DeKalb County mosquitoes (where Emory is located) during August-September peaks. Baker Woodlands has been a key site for trapping and releasing Aedes albopictus in experiments, as detailed in a 2022 PMC study evaluating metofluthrin emanators. In 2025, ongoing projects (e.g., a $2.8 million Gates Foundation grant for urban mosquito control) involve campus-adjacent fieldwork, potentially concentrating mosquitoes.

·       Tools and Monitoring: Emory developed the ProkoPack aspirator (a low-cost mosquito trap) for global use, tested locally. While this aids control, research sites can become hotspots. A 2024 Emory news piece on invasive species like Anopheles stephensi (malaria vector) emphasizes urban adaptation, and campus streams mimic these conditions.

No evidence suggests deliberate releases cause the "lot of mosquitoes," but research amplifies natural populations for study, making the campus a de facto monitoring zone

Why Emory become a global hub for mosquito research? Incidentally, CDC is adjacent to Emory campus.