Invasive Aedes mosquitoes are small, black-and-white daytime biters that have become common in California in the past decade. They breed in tiny containers of water, bite aggressively during the day, and can carry diseases like dengue and Zika.
If you've noticed aggressive little mosquitoes biting your ankles in broad daylight, you may be meeting an invasive Aedes species. You wouldn’t have dealt with it twenty years ago. That’s because it’s a relatively new arrival. But believe it or not, these tiny biters have dramatically changed the mosquito picture in Southern California.
These are not the native mosquitoes Californians grew up with. Aedes aegypti (the yellow fever mosquito) and Aedes albopictus (the Asian tiger mosquito) are small, dark mosquitoes marked with distinctive white stripes or spots on the body and legs. They were first found in California in the early 2010s. Now they’re all over the LA area, and they’ve established permanent local populations.
You notice these mosquitoes more because of how they behave. Most regular bugs only bite at sunrise and sunset. In contrast, these newer Aedes mosquitoes are daytime biters. They are pushy, fly around all day, and like to bite your lower legs. They will not leave you alone and tend to bite many times. This makes even a small number of them feel like a huge problem.
They breed in very small amounts of water in artificial containers, saucers, buckets, bottle caps, and the like, which are abundant around homes, and their eggs are tough and drought-resistant, surviving dry spells to hatch later. In other words, they’re perfectly suited for city life in an arid climate.
Annoyance would be reason enough to want them gone. But be warned: these species are capable vectors of diseases like dengue, Zika, chikungunya, and yellow fever. Local transmission in California has been limited so far, thankfully, but health agencies are watching closely just in case.
If you're tired of aggressive daytime mosquitoes taking over your yard, Mosquito Squad of Los Angeles can help. Mosquito Squad targets the resting areas and helps you clear the small containers invasive Aedes breed in. This can help you protect your yard with up to 90% reduction in mosquito activity on a recurring 21-day cycle.
