You may have seen recent reports of the invasive yellow fever mosquito - Aedes aegypti - being found as close as Santa Clara County, Santa Cruz County, and Contra Costa County.  Our District does not currently have Aedes aegypti; however, given these recent sightings, we are increasing surveillance.  An important part of surveillance for this mosquito is...YOU!  Many districts learned about Aedes…

You might or might not notice them when walking down the street, but storm drains are an important part of our infrastructure.  They help hold and redirect water during winter storm events, and they help keep our neighborhoods from flooding.

Aedes aegypti mosquitoes are small mosquitoes with distinctive black and white stripes on their legs. Unlike some other species of mosquitoes, they bite during the day.

You may have heard on the news that Santa Clara County Vector Control District conducted mosquito control in parts of Santa Clara County in late June and mid-July. These treatments were in response to findings of West Nile virus in mosquito populations.

Would you like to learn more about the District and what District staff do to control mosquitoes and other vectors? Check our our recently completed 2021 Annual Report HERE.

In January, we reminded you that it was peak season for adult western black-legged ticks. But where did all those adults come from? Most ticks go through four life stages: egg, six-legged larva, eight-legged nymph, and adult. The adult ticks that peak in the winter were nymphs in the previous summer. Nymphs are most active in spring and early summer, and these tiny ticks pose a greater risk of…

West Nile virus (WNV) is endemic in California, meaning it regularly occurs and is established in a community. In San Mateo County, detection of WNV in birds has been rare in recent years. When certain birds become infected with WNV, they carry a high level of virus in their blood. If a mosquito bites an infected bird and feeds on its blood, the mosquito can become infected and pass the virus on…

This month, we welcomed two new vector control technicians to our team.  Justin has worked with the District in various roles since 2016; Vanessa has a background in envrionmental health.  We are glad to have them on our team!

This week, many of our staff attended the Mosquito and Vector Control Association of California annual conference. Attending presentations on a variety of mosquito- and vector-themed topics helps us stay up-to-date on best practices and emerging technologies. Staff earn continuing education units (CEUs) to maintain the certification required to be Vector Control Technicians in the state of…

Mosquitofish are small guppy-like fish that can eat several hundred mosquito larvae each day.  The District uses mosquitofish as part of our Integrated Vector Management (IVM) strategy (learn more about IVM here and here).  Mosquitofish are useful in non-natural sources, like decorative fish ponds, water features, and un-used ‘green’ swimming pools.  (Mosquitofish can NOT be placed in water where…