‘Highly aggressive’ day-biting mosquitoes found in Santa Clara

(KRON) — A “highly aggressive” mosquito species that feeds “almost exclusively on humans” was detected in Santa Clara, county officials warned on Monday.

The county’s Vector Control District found Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in a residential area of the City of Santa Clara. The district identified 58 mosquitoes surrounding Agate Drive and Moraine Drive.

Aedes aegypti are not native to California. Unlike the region’s native mosquitoes that bite primarily at dawn and dusk, Aedes aegypti bite day and night.

“The district will soon begin treatment to eradicate the aggressive species. The goal is to thwart the invasive insect from establishing a permanent population,” vector control officials wrote.

“If Aedes aegypti gains a foothold in Santa Clara County, it will not only threaten public health but also affect our quality of life, as these mosquitoes are highly aggressive and active,” vector control officials continued.

The non-native mosquitoes were found in Gilroy and East San Jose earlier this year .

“We are doing everything we can to prevent Aedes aegypti from becoming established in Santa Clara County — and we urgently need the public’s help,” said Edgar Nolasco, the county’s Environmental Protection Agency director. “It’s very important for residents in affected areas to cooperate with district staff and allow them to inspect their properties for mosquitoes and mosquito habitat.”

District staff are carrying out eradication efforts, including trapping adult mosquitoes, inspecting properties to find mosquito larvae and habitat, and treating larvae with pesticide. The district will escalate its mosquito-control methods to include backpack spraying, barrier spraying, spraying with truck-mounted equipment over wide areas.

The invasive species is about a quarter-inch in size with black and white stripes on its back. “It feeds almost exclusively on humans,” vector officials wrote.

Aedes aegypti insects have the potential to transmit several viruses, including those that cause dengue, chikungunya, Zika, and yellow fever.

They do not fly long distances, venturing fewer than 500 feet from where they hatch.

These mosquitoes lay their eggs in small, artificial sources of water such as pet dishes, bird baths, and plant pots. Once laid, the eggs can last for more than a year without water. Residents should look around their property and dump out even the smallest amount of standing water. Eggs are half a millimeter in size and look to the naked eye like tiny bits of dirt.

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