Los Angeles County residents are being warned about what may be the worst mosquito season in years.
The recent heavy rains across the state have created ripe conditions and new places for mosquitos to lay their eggs and raise larva. With warm weather on its way in the next few months, those blood suckers could thrive.
There are two types of mosquitos to worry about: the native culex breed and the so-called ankle-biters, which are an invasive species.
“They’re annoying. They hurt. They itch,” Tarzana resident James Jimenez said. They can also be vectors of diseases like Zika and West Nile virus.
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Jimenez is taking precautionary measures against a possible mosquito nightmare. On Wednesday afternoon, a technician with the company Mosquito Squad sported “Ghostbusters”-style equipment to spray Jimenez’s home with chemicals that are harmless to humans but deadly to mosquitos.
“Anywhere it’s shady, cool, dark – that’s what they love the most,” Joshua Hernandez, a Mosquito Squad worker, said.
Standing water serves as a breeding source for mosquitoes, and any container with as little as a teaspoon of water can allow the insects to propagate, according to the Los Angeles County Vector Control District. Sources of standing water can be anything from plant saucers to old tires to recycling bins, vector control district Community Liaison Caroline Gongora said.
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Other breeding sources for mosquitoes can include things like kiddie pools, pool pumps and drains, bird baths, pet water bowls and more.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that, once a week, people empty and scrub items where mosquitoes are likely to lay their eggs.
