FRESNO (KMJ) — A dangerous type of mosquito is now spreading throughout the Central Valley. The aedes aegypti has been identified in another two locations, adding to the already long list of places the breed has established itself.
The findings in the City of Merced and the City of Tulare is a first for both.
“This is the first time aedes aegypti has been found in Merced County…ever,” confirms Merced County Mosquito Abatement District’s General Manager Rhiannon Jones.
She adds that staff received confirmation from the California Department of Public Health, adding the City of Merced to the list already featuring the cities of Clovis, Fresno, Hanford, and Madera. The concern stems from the breed’s ability to transmit conditions such as yellow fever and zika.
“The extreme weather is going to kill them,” reveals the General Manager of the Tulare Mosquito Abatement District John Avila. “These are tropical mosquitoes so they’ve always lived in the southern hemisphere, in South America, in those warmer temperatures, but up here it’s not going to over winter.
“But the eggs will stay viable. So any eggs that its laying right now, as it gets warmer next season in the Spring, and water reaches those eggs, they’re going to hatch off.
“So it’s going to become endemic.”
Advice to combat the spread is to empty out all containers of water which the mosquitoes use to breed.
“Drain standing water, and report daytime biting mosquitoes to your local mosquito abatement district,” adds Rhiannon Jones. “We can help reduce the spread of those invasive mosquitoes.”
Hear the report from KMJ’s Dominic McAndrew as it aired:
