Attack Of The Ankle-Biter: Aedes Mosquitos Plague Southern California

LOS ANGELES, CA — Redondo Beach resident Rosalba Cambria thought she was going out to breakfast for a bite to eat one recent morning only to discover that she was the main course.

As she dined at Good Stuff Restaurant in Hermosa Beach, Cambria found herself being eaten alive. It was a rude introduction to the invasive Aedes mosquito, nasty little bloodsuckers commonly known as ankle-biters. Since they were first detected in California over the last decade, they've entrenched themselves statewide and are being found across Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, Tulare, Merced, Ventura, Contra Costa, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Yolo and Shasta counties.

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The Aedes mosquito is not like the mosquitos Californians are used to.

Atypical of other mosquitos that usually go for just one bite at dawn or dusk, Aedes mosquitos are aggressive and love to bite people during the day according to Aaron Arugay, Executive Director of Los Angeles County West Vector Control.

These mosquitos breed quicker in smaller containers than others. Their eggs can be found in any container with standing water, even something as tiny as a bottlecap.

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"Anything that can hold water could be a breeding ground for the mosquitos," Arugay said. "A person could have 25 planters in their backyards and every single saucer could hold these mosquitos."

These mosquitos have been in Southern California since 2011 when the San Gabriel Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District identified a type of Aedes mosquito in El Monte. They've grown in population and spread out across the state since then.

Arugay said it's safe to assume the species is in every neighborhood because they have been spreading throughout the State of California. Most Aedes activity in a community comes from residential backyards.

Controlling the spread of the Aedes mosquito is difficult, Arugay said, because their eggs can survive for longer amounts of time which makes it easier for the species to quickly and accidentally spread to different areas.

Though they have been known to carry many tropical diseases, including yellow fever and the Zika virus, Arugay said, there is no known transmission of such diseases in Southern California.

"Unfortunately we're probably going to have to get used to having them around," Arugay said. "They're just really a pest because they are aggressive biters."

To combat the spread of Aedes mosquitos, vector control agencies recommended people get rid of all standing water. Most mosquitos lay eggs on the surface of the water, but Aedes mosquitos lay their eggs on the sides of containers so simply dumping out the water may not eliminate the bugs.

During the drought, many residents have been saving their own recycled water and storing it outside in order to use less water, but Arugay said if these reserves are kept uncovered, they could become another breeding ground for the mosquitos.

It's recommended that residents do away with plant saucers and keep repellant handy to help control the spread of the Aedes mosquito.

"We really stress people to get rid of all standing water," Arugay said.

Recently, restaurants have even been handing out bug spray to customers as ankle-biting season peaks in the late summer and fall.

Cambria, who said her ankles were "chewed up" and the bites were relentless as she ate breakfast in Hermosa Beach, wasn't sure if bug spray is enough.

"It was awful and relentless, bug spray barely helped," Cambria said. "I didn't bleed, but the lady next to us got bitten so bad they drew blood."