These aggressive mosquitoes do not wait until dusk to bite—and they often target the ankles.
Native to sub-Saharan Africa, yellow fever mosquitoes have been causing concern in several neighborhoods along Southern California’s picturesque coast.
Santa Barbara County’s Mosquito and Vector Management District confirmed that four Aedes aegypti mosquitoes were discovered on Oct. 30 near North Voluntario and East Cota streets.
The agency said a total of four ‘Aedes aegypti’ mosquitoes, capable of causing dengue fever, were trapped in different locations across Santa Barbara last week. Two were found near North Voluntario and Cota streets, one at Laguna and East Carrillo, and one near East Victoria and Olive.
According to the District, the same species was found Oct. 20 in the eastern Goleta Valley, near Turnpike Road and Calle Real, and in Carpinteria in July.
A second non-native species is already in town. Australian backyard mosquitoes, ‘Aedes notoscriptus,’ were found in Santa Barbaraâs West Side in March and in the Mesa neighborhood in June.
Both species like to bite around the feet and ankles, and they do it during the day, indoors and out. Residents tormented by the pests have named them âankle biters.â
âPlease contact the District if you find yourself being bitten by aggressive mosquitoes indoors or outdoors during daytime hours,â the agency said, asking residents to call 805-969-5050 or send a message through the âContact Usâ page on its website.
Santa Barbaraâs troubles come as the whole region swelters through what many residents call a year of agony. Record-shattering heat waves and El Niño threats have turned Southern California into a breeding paradise for the winged pests.
âIâve been here my whole life and the amount of mosquitoes Iâve seen this summer has been insane,â one woman said in a TikTok video that has drawn more than 21,000 likes.
Los Angeles County has recorded over 180 cases of West Nile virus this yearâthe highest spike in nearly a decade, according to the local public health department.
The regionâs native âCulexâ mosquito picks up West Nile from wild birds before passing it on to humans. In nearby Orange County, vector control officials have pulled a staggering 850 traps loaded with West Nile-positive bugs, reports the Guardian.
