Mosquitoes being small and fragile are vulnerable to water loss. Their ability to exploit humid air as a means to obtain water has enabled their success in a wide range of terrestrial environments. Developing a form of mosquito control that is based on their reliance for humid micro-habitats, is new in its concept. The ability to exploit this behaviour using a successful trap design will target resting mosquitoes. The traditional method of eradication by insecticide applications has created resistance in many mosquito species. This verifies the need for a new form of control that can be used long term to decrease mosquito numbers, reduce environmental impacts, and to protect the health of people.

This study has focused on the behaviour of the brown house mosquito - Culex quinquefasciatus as a case study for other mosquito species. The behaviour of this species both in the laboratory and field were investigated. Relative humidity of 51.6% was shown to promote mosquito survival. Female survival was longer than males at all relative humidity treatments. Using this acquired knowledge, micro-habitat investigations were conducted in the South Parklands to locate 'hot spots' where this optimal relative humidity may be found. Such areas are where mosquitoes would be attracted to. These were shown to be areas heavily watered by the Adelaide City Council.

The development of a trap requires the consideration of many aspects in its design. This study looked at two aspects (preferred landing colour and entrance hole shape), where findings were incorporated into the design of the 'humiditrap'. Red was shown to be the most favoured colour by females and black was the most favoured by males. No preferences in shapes were discovered. General trends indicate that a slot shape had the highest number of entrances by females and the square was preferred by males. This was not statistically supported.

Trap testing at Globe Derby Park showed that the 'humiditrap' needed further consideration in its design as concluded by the small number of trapped individuals after two separate trials. In particular, future research on 'humiditraps' may need to emphasis on the aspect of chemical attraction to improve the efficiency.