These Tiny Invasive Creatures Are Slowly Taking Over California’s Counties Day After Day
Climate change is stripping away the blanket of snow that once engulfed the Sierra Nevada mountains. This mountain snowpack was California’s major reservoir for water supply. Now, all this dwindling ice is being lifted by toxic, carbon-laced molecules that dangle in the air, intensifying humidity and settling in stagnant water pools. This melting mountain snow and the intensifying humidity have turned California into a delicious lure for tiny black-and-white invaders, who are now notoriously breeding throughout the state, blotching the atmospheric views of its territories with wriggling black patterns. According to a report by the Santa Clara County Mosquito and Vector Control District (@sccvcd), these invasive mosquitoes were recently detected in a new area of the county in San José near S. 12th and Martha streets.
Nader Sidhom, a vector control specialist, combs the Californian county in Santa Clara, setting up traps on trees and poles, for these black-and-white invaders. The traps are laced with a scent that entices the mozzies lurking around to believe that they are smelling a human, he described in conversation with KSBW Action News 8, in early October. According to California’s Government, the temperatures in the state are accelerating, with multiple areas in Southern California expected to heat up to a soaring 88°F and 95°F.
These hot, humid conditions are like appetizing buffets for mosquitoes whose goal is to invade, breed, and establish their dominion over the entire state. In the latest investigations, Sidhom caught them in downtown Boulder Creek, but the county suggests that they are all over the state. Called “Aedes aegypti” or “yellow fever mosquitoes,” are “aggressive, day-biting” mosquitoes that are spreading their population in the Bay Area with an unstoppable force.
Residents have been asked to look out for their distinguished white markings that appear on their legs. Overall, their body size is no larger than a quarter of an inch. Don’t mistake the petty size for a petty poison, however. These little invaders can quickly proliferate diseases like yellow fever, chikungunya, and Zika. “These diseases are not currently spread in the county, but the risk grows as these mosquitoes spread and grow in numbers,” the county said on Instagram.
Unlike typical mosquitoes, these wicked guys don’t just lay their eggs in stagnant water pools or puddles. They go all the way to sneak inside people’s houses and hole up in their flower pots, pet bowls, scrub containers, backyards, and window sills, where they lounge, breed, and hum spooky buzzes during the night to scare humans.
If you are a local residing in this region, the county urges you to pay attention and be on the lookout for these white-striped gremlins. If you have already spotted them, you can email photos or clips to the county or report mosquito bites that happen during the day immediately on (408) 918-4770 or at vectorinfo@cep.sccgov.org. You can also sign up for mosquito alerts to get the latest information on scheduled mosquito treatments and invasive mosquito detection.
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