Stephanie, We deployed BGS traps with iButtons that measured temperature and humidity locally. Its published as Crepeauetal2013PLoS One 8(3): e60524. You can download the ms at http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~AWATM/Surveillance.html

Our question was about optimizing surveillance not examining minimum temps. In fact the limiting factors turned out to be high temp and low humidity.

They will fly and feed at much lower temperatures. Here is a paper on temperature and Ae. albopictus: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2579928/

It survives and reproduce in northwestern Europe, eg the Netherlands and southern Germany, and in USA up to New Jersey if I remember correctly. I do not know the actual temperature when they start to fly.

Thank for indicating the paper from Barry and Juliano. They did experiments on 22, 24, and 26°C across the full life cycle of Ae. albopictus.

To get deeper in the question I checked again literature:

Waldock et al. 2013 (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23916332) stated that to best of their knowledge temperature effects on feeding behaviour have not been published to date.

Therefore temperature requirements regarding flying and feeding could only be concluded by single oberservations and I found even lower temperatures:

Roiz et al. 2010 (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20059318): “The seasonal emergence of host-seeking females was strongly influenced by the minimum temperature, and a lower threshold of 13°C was identified. In addition, the threshold for the end of adult activity was found at a minimum temperature of 9°C”, (trap sampling: April to November 2008 in the municipalities of Arco and Riva del Garda, northern Italy)

Delatte et al. 2009 (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19198515): ”…no egg laying was observed at 15°C and below...”, (Ae. albopictus from Asia, biological parameters were experimentally studied in controlled conditions at eight constant temperatures (5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, and 40 degrees C).

Finally, in my opinion it would be a good idea to test these temperature effects on flying and feeding under defined experimental conditions. This would give us an insight into the required minimum temperature for disease transmission after the extrinsic incubation period of the pathogen is fulfilled.

Mosquitoes are the most adoptable species. They do adjust to any temperature with the variations in the life span and reproductive cycle. What we predict through lab experiment set up may not hold true in the field. However, one can try experiments to gain knowldge. lalitha kabilan

Achieving a satisfactory balance between knowledge out of laboratory and field experiments is always a basic question in science. And my expressed plea for laboratory experiments does not exclude the benefits from field experiments or monitoring. It would be very helpful to have temperature/precipitation (humidity) data logger directly at mosquito monitoring sites, but involves more and bigger efforts. And certainly, the adaptability of insects cannot be predicted.

If you know examples of such field experiments which measure directly climatic variables at the mosquito trap site, I would be grateful if you could let me know about it.

Stephanie, We deployed BGS traps with iButtons that measured temperature and humidity locally. Its published as Crepeauetal2013PLoS One 8(3): e60524. You can download the ms at http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~AWATM/Surveillance.html

Our question was about optimizing surveillance not examining minimum temps. In fact the limiting factors turned out to be high temp and low humidity.

Dina, thank you so much for providing this important indication, which clearly shows, that Ae. albopictus flight activity could even be found at 10 to 11°C.

Stephanie, those data show Aedes albopictus will be on the wing at temps of about 10C or so (that includes both early season and late season data. We have better data addressing just early season start of pop. development - a degree day model - but haven't yet published that. What specific question are you asking?

i am agree with Lalitha, as insect are the most successful living organism on the planet. Also the mosquito can be found at any temperature and humidity mean they can fly and feed at any temperature.