The discovery of more dangerous and very aggressive mosquitoes near a San Jose cemetery is prompting Santa Clara County officials to ask residents to remove standing water and permit pest control teams access to forestall the insects from becoming a long-lasting threat.
The invasive mosquitoes can transmit dengue fever, yellow fever and other serious diseases and in addition threaten “our way of life” because they feed in the course of the day, unlike the state's native mosquitoes. The district warned in a press release on Friday.
“It feeds almost exclusively on humans and does not fly long distances; it ventures less than 500 feet from its hatching site,” the county said.
Many of California's native mosquitoes are most energetic within the morning and evening when temperatures are cool and can bite at any time of day.
According to the California Department of Public Health, even a small variety of these “can become an extreme nuisance.”
As with other mosquito species, only the females bite and hunt people outdoors and indoors. According to the county's vector control district, one person feeds on multiple times. “They're known as 'ankle biters' because They tend to bite people on the ankle area“said the district.
The half-inch-long black-and-white striped mosquito was first found in Santa Clara County in 2022 and has been identified this year in San Jose neighborhoods as well as Santa Clara and Gilroy District crews use pesticides to try to eradicate them. was identified in Contra Costa County – twice this year – Santa Cruz County in 2022 and in Solano County, where it has an established populationaccording to county and state records. However, it was found in San Mateo County in 2013 hasn't been seen there since 2015. The style was also found in Alameda County about a decade ago, but it is not believed to be established.
The insects are known to transmit dengue fever – often called “broken bone fever” due to its painful symptoms – in addition to chikungunya, yellow fever and Zika.
Cedars-Sinai Hospital responded to the cases in Los Angeles County, noting that global warming is “expanding the reach” of disease-carrying mosquitoes.
Aedes aegypti “is known to invade new areas by transporting containers contaminated with mosquito eggs,” said the Santa Clara County Consumer and Environmental Protection Agency.
The insects are “container breeders” that prefer to put their eggs in containers full of water or on the stems of plants growing in water, the agency said. The eggs may even survive for a 12 months when dried – they’ll hatch when wet again, the agency said.
“They lay eggs in a container as small as a bottle cap,” the agency said.
The public “plays a critical role in controlling the spread of this mosquito,” Santa Clara County said.
County officials urged residents to examine their properties for “even the smallest amount of standing water” and dump it. “Cleaning and scrubbing birdbaths, pet bowls and other containers is a good way to remove any remaining eggs, which are about half a millimeter in size and look like tiny particles of dirt to the naked eye,” the county said.
Rain barrels, cisterns and irrigation drains ought to be screened with superb mesh, and residents should repair leaky outdoor faucets and broken sprinkler heads, the county advised.
Two mosquitoes were found near Oak Hill Memorial Park, a big cemetery about three miles south of downtown San Jose, Santa Clara County said Friday. Vector Control District staff “implement a thorough eradication plan in the area, capture adult mosquitoes, inspect properties to locate mosquito larvae and habitats … and treat any larvae they find with pesticides,” the county said.
“The district will expand its mosquito control methods as needed to include methods such as backpack spraying and large-scale larvicide spraying, conducted using truck-mounted equipment and delivered in a series of treatments.” Control methods will also be used as needed be expanded to incorporate treatments to regulate mosquitoes in adults.”
Edgar Nolasco, director of the county's Consumer and Environmental Protection Agency, urged residents of affected areas to “cooperate with county staff and allow them to inspect their properties for mosquitoes and mosquito habitat.”
Now it’s The city of Fremont announced this on Saturday County officials had received reports of “aggressive, daytime biting mosquitoes in Fremont.” Although the insects are “incredibly annoying and make the outside world unsightly,” they’re a species native to California that doesn’t transmit disease to humans. San Mateo County has reported that the gold color Aedes dorsalis “can be a major pest to humansand “Bites aggressively during the day.”
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