Will SoCal see more mosquitoes after all this rain? Officials urge residents to prepare now
By "tipping and tossing" stagnant water around your home, you can also help avoid the West Nile virus.
DUARTE, Calif. (KABC) -- With so much rain drenching Southern California this season, there is another pesky problem lurking around the corner: mosquitoes.
"It doesn't take long for mosquitoes to go from the larva you see to full grown ones that'll look for someone like you to sting," said Pablo Cabrera with the San Gabriel Valley Mosquito & Vector Control District.
Dense vegetation and stagnant water allow mosquitoes to grow and hide. Just a small amount of water is all mosquito needs to lay their eggs and with the historic rainfall, residents are being asked to do three things: tip, toss and protect.
The San Gabriel Valley Vector Control District urges resident to tip out stagnant water weekly, toss any unused containers left outside that can collect stagnant water, and protect yourself with some sort of mosquito repellent.
Cabrera said the SGVMVCD hasn't captured any adult mosquitoes at the moment, but once the dry, warmer weather hits, that will change.
"That's going to produce the perfect environment for mosquitoes to grow and reproduce, and then that's going to result in the biting nuisance that we're all familiar with," he said.
By "tipping and tossing" the stagnant water around your home, you can also help avoid the West Nile virus from coming into your neighborhood.
"It's a bird disease so if you see dead birds in your area, that's kind of the red flag that there is West Nile virus in your area," said Cabrera.
So all of the rain that's fallen could mean Southern California will see more mosquitoes when the weather gets warmer.
For more information the SGVMVCD's West Nile activity, visit their website.
