Steps for Students

Creating Your Agent File

Welcome Agent!

You MUST have a parent or guardian fill out a permission form (use link below).

Parent Permission Form

Take pre-assessment survey (use link below)

Operation Mosquito G.R.I.D. Pre-Assessment

Q & A For Step 1

Are there other options to have my parent sign the online form?

Yes, ask your teachers for a printed copy of the form, have your parent or guardian sign it and return it to your teacher on or before the deadline.

Something happened and I missed the deadline to get my parent's permission / to complete the survey, can I still participate?

No, because hundreds of students participate each year, we must stick to our deadlines. However, if you anticipate a problem, talk to your teacher before the deadline and your teacher can reach out to us.

My teacher says the online survey I took was incomplete. What does that mean?

An incomplete survey means you didn't answer all the questions on the survey. Either you hit submit before answering all the questions or there was some connectivity issue. Go back and submit a new survey. Be sure to answer all questions and hit submit before closing your phone or computer. 

I have a (sibling, cousin, friend) that lives with me who is doing the same project. Can they set an egg cup in the same yard/place as my egg cup?

Yes. You can have two or more cups in the same area. You will each use your unique agent number and submit your own results (egg paper and images).

Why didn't I get a kit?

Check with your teacher for your kit. You may have been absent when the kits were handed out. If you or your parent did not submit your parent-permission form or if you did not complete your pre-assessment survey, you will not receive a kit.

What should be in my kit (I think I'm missing an item)?

Your kit should include:

• (1) Black egg cup,
• (1) Spike,
• (1) Sheet of egg paper

Optional Items (Teacher Preference)

• (1) Checklist and Calendar Sheet
• (1) Clear water sample cup with lid
• (1) Plastic Pipette

All of the above items will come in a large resealable bag. SAVE THE BAG! You will return your kit and used egg paper in that bag. If you lose the resealable bag, you can use any large plastic bag that can be zipped closed.  Please do not use a marker or pen because these can bleed when wet.  If you are missing any of the expected items listed above, let your teacher know immediately so they can be replaced and you can still participate.

Step 2: Collect Water Sample* / Prepare Your Yard

For Students Who Must Collect a Water Sample:

I found an extra small, plastic cup inside my black egg cup. What is that for? 

*Some teachers opted into the water analysis portion of this project, their students' kits come with a water sample kit to collect water samples before placing the egg cup. 

I'm not sure I got a water s​ample kit. What does it look like?

Your kit will come with a water sample kit tucked inside the G.R.I.D. kit egg cup. it will be a small resealable bag which contains a small, clear sample cup with a lid and a dropper.

We are doing the water analysis, but I didn't get a kit / I lost my kit. How do I get another one?  

Alert your teacher who has extra kits and can give you one, so you don't miss the lab day.  

What water are we sampling?

Take samples of any water you might find trapped in containers around your home.

Why are we sampling the water?

Water samples determine:

1. What's growing in that water? Mosquitoes grow in water and you may collect eggs, larvae. or pupae in your samples. Water samples can reveal the presence and types of mosquitoes growing around your home. That information allows you to assess the risk of mosquito-borne disease.
2. What's the disease risk? The presence of Culex mosquitoes poses a risk of the transmission of West Nile virus. The presence of Aedes mosquitoes poses a risk of the transmission of dengue virus (to name one of several tropical disease viruses these mosquitoes can transmit).
3. Are Culex mosquitoes present? The egg cup is strictly a tool to surveil for Aedes mosquitoes. It does not reveal the presence of Culex species. The presence of Culex adults requires more complicated traps. In this project, Culex can only be detected as eggs, larvae, or pupae in water samples.

​How do I use the water sample kit?

To collect a water sample, use the dropper to transfer a sample of any trapped (stagnant) water you find into the clear sample cup provided. Be sure to leave some space for air! Snap the lid on firmly and place the cup with the sample into the resealable bag. Seal tightly!

 I'm worried the lid may come off my sample cup before I get to school.

Seal the sample in clear sample cup with the lid (it should snap shut with gentle pressure) and return it to the small resealable bag. If the lid comes off the cup, the sample is contained by the resealable bag.

I have my sample sealed in the cup, now what do I do with it?

You will bring this water sample to class on the day your teacher has assigned for the in-house water sample analysis lab.

For ​All Students! Preparing Your Yard for Mosquito Surveillance:

I'm doing the water analysis part of this step. Do I also have to clear my yard of all these items?

YES! All students, with or without a water sample kit, must complete this part of the step!

What items are we removing?

Clear your yard of all items that might hold trapped (stagnant) water (whether they are currently holding water or are now dry). 

 Why is removing these items so important to the project?

These sources compete with your egg cup and lure female mosquitoes looking for places to lay eggs away from your egg cup which may create a bias in your results. Female Aedes mosquitoes will lay eggs on dry items such as plant saucers that have a mineral ring indicating that the item has held water in the past. The more items you can remove from the environment, the more likely visiting female mosquitoes will lay eggs in your egg cup. 

I'm not using the spike. What do I do with it?

Save the unused spike (inside the resealable bag your kit came in), put it in a safe place where it won't be accidentally thrown out, and return it with the other kit components and your used egg paper at the end of the project.

I'm supposed to label my egg paper. What do I write / where on the paper? Why am I labeling it when it will be returned with my kit?

Write your agent number on your egg paper while it is still dry. The best place is on right, clipped corner of the egg paper. Writing across the face of the paper may make egg identification difficult when you view it through the microscope. Please use a pencil and do not use a marker or pen which will bleed and become unreadable when wet.

Writing your number on your paper ensures you get credit should the paper become separated from your kit.

What is my agent number / where do I find it? 

​Your agent number is written on the tall black egg cup found in your kit and on your water sample cup (if you are doing the extra water analysis step). You will use your unique agent number for every data submission.

Where is the best place to put my egg cup?

Choose a location for your egg cup that is cool and sheltered from the wind.  It's important to pick a safe location where it won't be tipped over. Use that location for the whole program.

Which side of the egg paper should face the interior of the cup?

Roll the paper with the date and the line facing to the inside and slip it all the way into the cup.

Does the water go in before or after I put the paper in the cup?

Place the egg paper in the cup, first. Add water slowly.

Why do I have to add the water slowly?

If you fill the cup too quickly, the water lifts the paper up out of the cup and out of place.  With the paper in place, SLOWLY fill the cup with water WHILE TURNING the cup so the paper is wet evenly from top to bottom. This will keep the paper from lifting up as the water level rises.  You want to keep the top edge of the paper at or below the rim of the cup.

What is the purpose of the black line on the paper? 

That's your water line. Mosquitoes will lay their eggs above the water line. It gives you a place to start looking for eggs.

How do I set up my egg cup? Where do I place my egg cup?

Watch GRID Step 3 for a step-by-step guide to set up the lure

How long will I leave the egg cup in place?

Fill it until the water reaches the line drawn on the paper. Place your cup in the spot you have picked out and leave it there for the whole week.

Once I put it outside, do I need to do anything else?

Check the cup daily to make sure it hasn't been tipped over.

The water level is low. Should I refill it?

No. Mosquitoes will follow the lowering water line and will continue to lay their eggs in the lure. 

What if my cup gets knocked over? Should I refill it?

If it's only been out for a day or two, refill the cup. If it's been tipped over toward the end of the surveillance week, pull the paper and dry it. Adding more water later in the week may cause eggs already attached to the paper to hatch and the tiny larvae will be lost when you dump out the water. 

What if my egg cup is lost or damaged during the time it is sitting outside?

If your cup is lost or damaged during the surveillance week, it’s okay! Science is messy and accidents happen. The important thing is to report it! Please inform your teacher of the issue as soon as possible. ​If your egg cup is damaged and doesn't hold water, please inform your teacher and request a new cup as soon as possible. However, if the cup can hold water, keep using it until the end of the project. Damaged cups must to be returned for credit.

Something happened and I couldn't put my cup outside. What now?

If something unexpected occurred and you could not collect data during the data collection weeks, please let your teacher know as soon as possible. Please be sure to return your kit by the deadline. 

What if I cannot continue participating in Operation Mosquito G.R.I.D.?

We are sad to see you go. Please return your complete kit to your teacher. They will ensure it is returned to us.

The mosquito surveillance week is over. Now what do I do?

• Remove the egg paper from the cup and tip out the water.
• Place the paper in a safe place and secure it so it doesn't blow away.
• Allow the egg paper to dry COMPLETELY. It should dry fairly quickly. 
• Rinse out and dry the egg cup.
• When the egg paper is completely dry, carefully roll it and slip it back inside the egg cup. 
• Place the cup and paper, along with the spike, back in the large resealable bag.
• Bring entire kit to class on the designated lab day.

What are we going to do with the kit at school?

Your teacher will assign a day when you will analyze your egg paper under the microscope and take pictures of it. Once you've completed your analysis of the egg paper, please carefully roll the egg paper back up and return it to your egg cup. Return cup, paper, spike in resealable bag to the return bin in your classroom or other designated area at school.

Do you want the used papers back?

YES! We want the papers back with your kit! You won't get full credit if you fail to return the egg paper to us after your lab day.

I was sure I saw tiny black eggs on the paper when I pulled the paper out  of the cup. Now I don't see them. What happened?

 Eggs can be lost several ways: They can fall off the paper if handled roughly or something was scraped across the surface (such as a rock or brick when holding the paper down to dry. If the paper is left wet or damp, the eggs can hatch and the tiny larvae clinging to the paper are much harder to see and photograph. Handle the paper gently! Don't scrap anything across the surface of the paper when drying or when using the microscope (that includes the slide clips on the microscope stage - rotate those out of the way when scanning your paper under the microscope). Immediately dry the paper (it only takes a short time to dry it completely). Transport the paper to class carefully rolled up in your egg cup where it will be protected from crushing or rubbing against other objects as you take it to school for lab day.

How do I send back my G.R.I.D. kit at the end of the project? What should be returned?

You will return your kit to your teacher who has the return bin. Turn in the entire kit in its resealable bag to the return bin by the date on your calendar. If you didn't get a calendar, your teacher will have posted the calendar and due dates.

Kits must be returned in their resealable bags at the end of the project. The best way to return your egg paper is to roll it gently and return it to its original position inside the egg cup. Return unused water sample kits. Return the spike.

My kit is missing / was destroyed. Will I still get credit? 

Unfortunately, students who do not return their kits by the deadline will not get credit for the project. The kit components, especially the cup and spike, are expensive to replace. Make sure those in your household who have access to your kit understand this and don't discard it by mistake. Keep your kit away from small children and pets (especially puppies). 

The label on my cup was mysteriously rubbed or chewed off.  Do I need to do something about that?

Garden snails and slugs love paper and will eat the label off your cup. Before you turn your cup to us, make sure you can still read the label on the cup. We usually can figure it out, but every year we get back a few "mystery cups" we can't identify.  Don't miss out on credit! Re-label your cup if necessary.

I already answered these questions at the beginning of the project. Why do I need to fill out the post assessment?

The pre- and post-assessments allow us to measure the efficacy of the program and make changes based on comparing how you answered the questions at the beginning of the program with your answers at the end. 

Why do I need to keep filling out the same questionnaire one, three, and six months following the project?

The surveys give us insight into how well you retrained the concepts of mosquito biology, control, and source reduction. They also serve to keep you thinking about mosquito control throughout the year and to refresh your memory of the critical steps needed to keep mosquitoes from growing around your home.

Mosquito control is a shared responsibility. Your part in reducing mosquito-borne disease risk is to monitor the area around your home, exercise bite prevention, and share what you know with others. Without your help, fighting mosquitoes is a losing battle.