Los Angeles County Vector Control is warning that California’s recent heavy rains may result in a mosquito explosion this spring.
Steve Vetrone, director of scientific- technical services for the Greater L.A. County Vector Control District, said that it will be a big issue largely due to unmaintained swimming pools and other backyard containers.
“We have about 5,000 unmaintained swimming pools in our database,” Vetrone said. “And many of those are dry during the season, but unfortunately, when it does rain like this, it does fill those up, and those are going to start producing mosquitoes for us.”
Beyond being a nuisance, mosquitoes can spread diseases like West Nile Virus, which has sickened more than 7,000 people and killed more than 300 in California since 2003, according to the state public health department.
And that threat is exacerbated by unmaintained swimming pools that are not in operation and normally kept dry but became partially filled by the recent rains.
Neglected green pools are also a breeding ground for mosquitoes.
And Vetrone says they breed quickly, “from egg to adult in about a week or so.”
That’s why it’s important to pump the water out quickly if the pool is to remain dry.
Homeowners are advised to call professional pool service techs for weekly service to ensure their pools don’t become breeding grounds.
“If the pool is full and crystal-clear blue and in operation, then these are not going to be creating any mosquitoes for us,” Vetrone said.
If the offending pool is a neighbor’s pool, it’s safe to call your local vector control district — they won’t tell your neighbor who reported it.
“If a resident calls about a neighbor’s swimming pool, there's always anonymity that we try to protect there,” Vetrone said. “We're not looking to get anyone in trouble. We just want to make sure there aren't any mosquitoes that are coming off of those particular swimming pools that are unmaintained.”
Image credit: Greater LA County Vector Control District. https://www. glamosquito.org/swimming-pool-notice
