Physical Factors Influencing Chironomid Infestation of Water-Spreading Basins12

Abstract

Chironomid larvae were found to occur among the seston deposited in water-spreading basins used for aquifer recharge. Larvae, which were more active in open water before sunrise than during midafternoon, settled most densely in those basins having the highest infiltration rates, unless the basins were arranged in series. It was observed that basins at the beginning of a series developed greater larval populations than did those at the end.