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June 4th, 2025
Version: 2
Radboud University Medical Center
animal behavior and cognition
biorxiv

BuzzWatch: uncovering multi-scale temporal patterns in mosquito behavior through continuous long-term monitoring

Maire, T.Open in Google Scholar•Wan, Z.Open in Google Scholar•Lambrechts, L.Open in Google Scholar•Hol, F. J.Open in Google Scholar

Understanding the temporal dynamics of mosquito behavior is essential for developing effective interventions against pathogen transmission. However, limited knowledge exists about the environmental, physiological, and genetic factors influencing mosquito activity patterns. This knowledge gap is partly due to a lack of tools to accurately quantify the behavior of free-flying mosquitoes over extended periods. Here, we introduce BuzzWatch, an open-source, low-cost platform designed to continuously monitor mosquito flight behavior over several weeks with high temporal resolution. BuzzWatch records videos of mosquitoes freely flying in a transparent cage and automates the extraction, analysis, and visualization of behavioral data, including flight trajectories and population-level flight and sugar-feeding statistics. Using BuzzWatch, we quantified the daily rhythms of 10 Aedes aegypti populations from various geographic origins. Globally invasive Ae. aegypti showed increased sugar feeding and flight activity during midday compared to native African populations. Our platform further revealed subtle, long-lasting effects of blood feeding on activity patterns and a complex response to extended daylight periods. By integrating a host-seeking module in BuzzWatch to deliver CO2 and heat pulses, we observed a twofold increase in Ae. aegypti's response to host-associated cues during the daytime compared to nighttime. Combined, these results demonstrate BuzzWatch's potential to investigate responses to host cues over seconds, natural variability in daily rhythms over hours, and phenotypic plasticity over days. BuzzWatch offers a novel perspective on mosquito behavior over multiple timescales, paving the way for advanced ecological and epidemiological studies that can inform targeted and effective vector control strategies.

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