These Tiny Insect Species Are Swarming Southern Utah — and Residents Say They’re Being ‘Eaten Alive'

Humans have a sacred connection to every other being in nature, but there are these particular females that just love people, unfortunately, not in a good sense. For these tiny female adults, belonging to the Aedes aegypti family, a human is a live, breathing blood source. For the past few weeks, these mosquitoes had been storming the territories of California’s counties. Now, according to a report by the Salt Lake Tribune (SLT), they are vigorously making their way into Southern Utah, particularly Washington County. Typically, Southern Utah is known to provide a warm welcome to its guests, but with these bloodsucking guests, all they can do is shower them with chemical greetings. Meanwhile, the vicious bites are causing the residents to scream, “Help, we are getting eaten alive!”

Guiltless at not being able to roll out the red carpet for these voracious mosquitoes, David Heaton, spokesperson for the Southwest Utah Public Health Department, told SLT that the inhospitable welcome is “necessary.” These otherwise petty-looking creatures carry tons of tropical diseases that can rapidly make hospital ambulances and wards busy with swarms of ailing humans.

Nicknamed “yellow fever mosquitoes,” these mosquitoes are “aggressive, day-biting” mosquitoes, which means they are not a bit shy to materialize during the day and peck stingy bites upon humans, sometimes multiple times on the same human. With a size no larger than a quarter of an inch, they depict why a small size cannot be underestimated when it comes to making a difference. In this case, sadly, the difference is negative. Blame the female adults of this family.

While the male mosquitoes usually feed on nectar and sugar, the females are highly attracted to humans. These females need to secure their protein needs from humans to lay their eggs. From the bacteria living on human skin to the oils released in their sweat, from the lactic acid in human blood to the ammonia in their breath, a human being is a tantalizing bouquet of deliciousness for these notorious females that measure no more than the tip of a pencil eraser.

To add to their deceptive nature, these pests fly low and evade all human detection, often dubbed “no-see-ums.” Just one bite into human flesh is enough to trigger the formation of red welts, bruises, or markings. Previous incidents have reported humans running away to doctors, yelling at these painful marks emerging on their wrists, ankles, and thin-skinned areas.

Sean Amodt, manager of the Southwest Mosquito Abatement District, described to the SLT that these little invaders are identifiable by the lyre-like mark on their upper thorax and black and white bandings on their legs. Not to say that these details are so microscopic that they are as good as invisible. To strengthen the defense against these mosquitoes, Amodt suggested people look out for their larvae in potting soils, neglected coffee cups, flowerpots, under rocks in decorative ponds, soda bottles, flowerpots, buckets, tree holes, abandoned tires, bottle caps, or cola cans. When infested, these tiny creatures can quickly proliferate diseases like yellow fever, chikungunya, Zika, and West Nile virus.

“I’ve heard some people with the bites have gone to the hospital to find out what is going on. They didn’t know what was causing it or how to deal with it,” Amodt described. Recently, they received 40 calls from residents asking for help to get rid of these pests from their backyards. While exterminators are doing their best by welcoming these elusive bloodsuckers with fountains of chemical agents and pest control sprays, they believe it isn’t sufficient to control them from invading the county. To alert residents, Amodt’s team is passing out public health pamphlets, directing people to clean up clutter and dry up standing water in their yards. County residents can also call 435-627-0076 or fill out a service request on the district’s website to secure relief against these unwelcome mosquito guests.

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