The Antelope Valley Times

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Invasive Aedes mosquitoes spreading through east Palmdale

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PALMDALE – Invasive Aedes mosquitoes — known transmitters of yellow fever, dengue fever, chikungunya, and Zika virus — are spreading through east Palmdale, the Antelope Valley Mosquito & Vector Control District announced Friday.

The District has noticed a major uptick in Aedes mosquitoes in the area between Avenues Q and R, from 30th to 40th East. Officials are urging residents who live in or near this area to report any daytime biting mosquitoes.

Aedes aegypti, also known as the yellow fever mosquito, was first discovered in the Antelope Valley in October of 2018. The District has since detected it several more times during previous seasons.

Female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes lay eggs in small containers, such as vases, buckets, pots and plant saucers, just above the water line. The eggs can dry up and survive for six or more months, waiting for the container to re-flood so they can hatch. Aedes mosquitoes are typically introduced into new areas when people bring in containers from other areas that contain the eggs.

“Although these mosquitoes have the potential to carry dangerous tropical diseases, there is currently no local transmission occurring,” said District Manager Leann Verdick “but keeping mosquito populations low remains of utmost importance due to the potential for these diseases to make their way into the mosquito population. The lower the mosquito population, the lower the likelihood for disease transmission.”

AVMVCD personnel are continuing increased mosquito surveillance and will place traps and keep residents informed regarding important
mosquito control updates. They’re encouraging residents to inspect their properties weekly (and immediately after it rains) to dump, drain or flush out containers and permanent fixtures that are holding at least a teaspoon of water. Scrubbing the insides of the containers is also recommended to dislodge eggs deposited above the water line.

The District is urging residents to do their part to protect themselves from mosquito bites by:

  • Wearing repellents containing EPA registered ingredients, such as DEET, picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus, or IR3535 to exposed skin and/or clothing (as directed on the product label).
  • Wearing long sleeve shirts, long pants, socks and shoes when mosquitoes are most active.
  • Ensuring windows and door screens are in good repair to prevent mosquitoes from entering the home.
  • Inspecting yards for standing water sources, and draining water from under potted plants, in bird baths,  inside discarded tires, or from other items that could collect water.
  • Checking rain gutters and lawn drains to make sure they aren’t holding water and debris.
  • Cleaning and scrubbing bird baths and pet watering dishes weekly.
  • Checking indoor plants that are kept in standing water for mosquito activity (i.e. Bamboo and Philodendron).
  • Reporting any daytime biting mosquitoes to the AVMVCD at 661-942-2917 or online at www.avmosquito.org/submit-a-tip.

Residents who notice an abundance of day biting mosquitoes should report them to the Antelope Valley Mosquito & Vector Control District by calling 661-942-2917. To stay up-to-date on any mosquito related information, visit www.avmosquito.org.

[Information via news release from the Antelope Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District.]

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9 comments for "Invasive Aedes mosquitoes spreading through east Palmdale"

  1. I think they’re called asian tiger mosquito and there down here in east Lancaster too. I’ve already been bitten a couple times.

    • East Lancaster is totally forgotten and ignored by Rex and the Lancaster power elite. Voting districts will help us get fair representation from East Lancaster. Rex’s hand picked council is full of West Side puppets. Rex doesn’t even live here. He lives in Laguna.

      It’s time for voting districts in Lancaster.

  2. Just to be clear “mosquitoes that can carry yellow fever” is not the same thing AT ALL as “yellow fever carrying mosquitoes.” The designated mosquito still has to have bitten someone that has yellow fever before they can carry it to you, and at a guess this outbreak of mosquitoes is not encountering any sources of yellow fever et al for them to carry.

    YES!!! Do take all the recommended actions. But let’s not get panic stampeded here. For the most part the whole Antelope Valley Mosquito & Vector Control District is a funding funnel constructed by certain facets of local government to provide jobs and vehicles to their relatives and other cronies.

    • Watch out for mosquitos with red stripes. If they bite you, you turn Republican.

    • I live in that exact area and I was wondering why the hell I’ve been itching like crazy lately, full of bite marks. These mosquitos are incredibly small and very hard to see. I can sometimes see them out of the corner of my eye or hear them buzzing in my ear, but you can’t quite swat them like you do a fly, because they are way too small and evasive. Got a mosquito lamp so hopefully that helps, but this is ridiculous. Never even seen these kind of mosquitoes in this area and I’ve been here since the 90s.

    • On 30th St E and Ave R there is a water hook up where trucks fill up for construction nearby. Well their inability to hook up the hose properly has led to alot of water being wasted. There has been so much water leaking that there is a permanent pool of water just sitting there stagnant. It’s quite a bit of water considering they fill up trucks all day long some leak more than others depending on if the driver takes the time to properly hook up the hose to their truck I have even seen the trucks overflowing like it was filled up to much and that water collects and sits there providing a perfect environment mosquitoes.