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Seeing more mosquitoes across SoCal? Why they’re popping up sooner, living longer and biting more people
ABC7 Los Angeles • • health
Key Points:
- Extreme heat, humidity, and recent rainfall in Southern California are causing a surge in the mosquito population by creating ideal breeding and survival conditions.
- Mild winter conditions followed by summer heat have allowed mosquito populations to build up earlier than usual, extending their active season by about six weeks.
- Increased humidity enables mosquitoes to live longer, fly further, and reproduce more, contributing to a higher abundance and more frequent bites.
- There is a significant rise in West Nile virus-positive mosquito samples, with current positivity rates around 20%, compared to 7.3% last year at the same time.
- Officials are closely monitoring the situation, urging residents to take protective measures such as using repellents and screening windows to reduce mosquito-borne disease risks.
