Yellow fever mosquito breeding in San Diego County backyards

From CBS 8
July 20, 2020

SAN DIEGO — Have you noticed an increase in mosquito bites recently, maybe targeting your ankles?  A non-native species of mosquito especially adapted to breeding in our backyards is gaining a foothold in San Diego County.

They are ankle biters that swarm during the daylight hours, outside or inside your home. Summertime is peak season for the so-called yellow fever mosquito.

“It’s that kind of going after the feet and the ankles that seems to be one of their more notorious characteristics,” said Chris Conlan, supervising vector ecologist with the County of San Diego.

“The yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti, is a specialized sort of critter in that it really breeds more in small containers. So, you’re not going to see it breeding in the ponds, rivers and streams that we have around the county,” said Conlan.

That means standing water in your backyard is the perfect breeding ground for the yellow fever mosquito.

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