3: The added value of biting midge field work in the South Pacific

The biting midge, Culicoides belkini, is a significant nuisance pest in the South Pacific islands. Four international field research trips over the past 10 years worked provided an opportunity to field test new surveillance and management techniques while answering basic biology questions and collecting specimens for population genetics studies.

Although the science was the reason for the field, the greatest impact may not be the findings or papers but rather the introduction of science to the local communities where we collected.  We tried to engage and inspire people to think about science and insects. The benefits were two-fold, first people have interesting anecdotal information or tips that can improve the research or open new avenues of inquiry. The second benefit was the opportunity to teach science and educate people.  Taking the time to let the children play with the mosquito nets or aspirators may inspire them to be a scientist. It may motivate the person to simply trust facts and realize how hard it is to gather data. Perhaps it did nothing, but if it makes a difference to even one child, it was worth the effort and this may be the real impact of field work.