Sugar feeding impacts reproductive success and progeny development in Culicoides sonorensis biting midges (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae)

Culicoides Latreille biting midges are best known for their blood-feeding behaviors and pathogen transmission. However, biting midges also feed on sugar resources for energy, an area of study that has received little attention. In this study, we examined the impact of supplementing blood feeding with access to either water or sugar (10% sucrose) on midge fecundity, fertility, and progeny development. Culicoides sonorensis Wirth & Jones were provided either sucrose or water prior to a blood meal and subsequently either sucrose or water after the blood meal, resulting in 4 treatments. Individual females and F1 progeny were tracked to investigate metrics associated with reproductive and progeny success. Access to sucrose prior to a blood meal increased adult survival and resulted in a 12.9% increase in the proportion of females successfully taking a blood meal. Females provided access to sucrose after a blood meal produced eggs 2.1 d later than females provided water only after a blood meal. Significant results were found for proportion of egg hatch, juvenile period length, and F1 female wing length, but results were variable by trial. Availability of natural sugar sources in midge habitats could impact several variables used to calculate the vectorial capacity of biting midges, including survival, blood feeding rate, and vector density. This study emphasizes the need to incorporate sugar ecology into our understanding of vector-borne disease epidemiology. These results also suggest there is potential for using attractive toxic sugar baits as an effective means of control for this vector genus.