Seasonal changes in mosquito population densities in irrigated and non-irrigated areas in Bura, Tana River County, Kenya (2013-2014)

These data comprise apparent densities, species and sex and of mosquitos collected in irrigated and non-irrigated areas in Bura, Tana River County Kenya, between September 2013 and November 2014. Sampling was repeated four times over the period to cover the wet season, dry season, irrigation season and fallow periods. Mosquitoes were trapped using carbon dioxide-baited (CDC) light traps. Mosquitoes harvested from each of these traps were immobilized using 99.5% triethyleamine (Sigma-Aldrich, St. Louis, Missouri) and transferred to distinct bar-coded centrifuge tubes or cryogenic vials. The samples were transported in liquid nitrogen to the entomology section of Arbovirus/Viral haemorrhagic fever (VHF) laboratory at the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) where they were sorted by species, sex, village, collection date and counted. The study was implemented to assess the impact of land use change (specifically the conversion of pastoral rangeland into crop land) on the suitability of the habitats to mosquito development and colonization. It also aimed to identify relative abundance of mosquitoes associated with Rift Valley fever virus transmission. The data were collected and analysed by experienced researchers from the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (Kenya), the International Livestock Research Institute (Kenya) and the Kenya Medical Research Institute. This dataset is part of a wider research project, the Dynamic Drivers of Disease in Africa Consortium (DDDAC). The research was funded by NERC project no NE-J001570-1 with support from the Ecosystem Services for Poverty Alleviation Programme (ESPA). Additional funding was provided by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) Program Agriculture for Nutrition and Health. Full details about this dataset can be found at https://doi.org/10.5285/813f99c4-d07a-42dc-993a-1c35df9f028e