Mosquitoes collected at ten Iowa pig farms included 444 blood-fed females. Researchers traced 384 blood meals to pigs.
Sampling at ten Iowa farms
Researchers from the US Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service sampled five sow farms and five wean-to-market farms in Iowa every two weeks from June to October 2024. They collected mosquitoes inside and outside the buildings with traps and aspirators, then identified the insects and their blood-meal hosts. The study was published on 12 March 2026.
Pig blood in most fed females
The team collected 3,009 resting mosquitoes and 444 blood-fed females. Pig blood was identified in 384 of the fed mosquitoes; the remaining hosts included deer, cattle and birds. On the wean-to-market farms, more blood-fed mosquitoes were collected indoors than outdoors. The paper reports mosquito location and feeding patterns, without documenting a disease outbreak.