Contact a licensed pest-control professional for help with harmful insects around your home
An aggressive and invasive Aedes mosquito feeds on human blood.
People from all over the world are drawn to the beauty, climate, and star-studded glamour of Southern California. Sometimes, other species are attracted to SoCal, too: A new pest has arrived on the SoCal scene—the Aedes mosquito—and local-government agencies are working to get the word out about this aggressive and invasive insect.
The common California Culex mosquito is annoying at best and harmful at worst, being a carrier of the West Nile virus. However, Aedes mosquitoes—the Asian tiger mosquito, the yellow-fever mosquito, and the Australian backyard mosquito—not only are more aggressive biters, but also are carriers of many more deadly diseases including malaria, yellow fever, dengue, and Zika, making them the cause of more than 1 million deaths worldwide each year.
Even a little bit of standing water, like that found in planter saucers, is plenty for Aedes mosquitoes to breed and multiply.
First found in Southern California some years ago, the non-native Aedes mosquitoes have not yet been tied to an uptick in these deadly diseases. But local agencies like the San Gabriel Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District aren’t waiting for people to get sick: They’re working hard to prevent mosquito-borne disease transmission, to stop the spread of these dangerous mosquitoes throughout the state, and to educate Californians about these invasive pests. Here’s what you can do:
- Regularly look for—and drain—even the smallest standing-water sources. While Culex mosquitoes love large standing-water bodies like ponds and dirty swimming pools, Aedes mosquitoes prefer tiny standing-water sources like bottle caps, old tires, and planter saucers.
- Contact a licensed pest professional. If you have concerns about pests of any kind in and around your home, reach out to a pest professional licensed by the Department of Consumer Affairs’ Structural Pest Control Board for assistance. Find out more about their services at www.pestboard.ca.gov and check a professional’s license at search.dca.ca.gov.
Related Reading:
- Be Aware–But Not Afraid–of ‘Murder Hornets’
- Wood-Destroying Organisms: More Than Just Termites
- It’s Time to Pest-Proof!
