Mosquitoes infected with West Nile virus have been found this week in Westminster and Costa Mesa, prompting officials to continue warning the public Thursday to use insect repellant and take other steps this holiday weekend to avoid the pests.
“We are seeing a lot of mosquito activity in general this year, considerably more than usual,” said Brian Brannon, a spokesman for the Orange County Mosquito and Vector Control District.
“In a five-year average of mosquito abundance, we’re off the charts,” Brannon said. “Now we have positive West Nile Virus infections in 10 cities.”
Mosquitoes infected with West Nile virus have been found in Newport Beach, Buena Park, Costa Mesa, Garden Grove, Santa Ana, Seal Beach, Huntington Beach, Cypress, Fullerton and Westminster. The infected pests have been found in four traps in Buena Park, twice in Santa Ana, and five times in Fullerton, but once in the other cities.
Vector control officials have not yet gotten to the point of doing spraying from trucks yet, Brannon said.
Last year, the agency had 186 mosquito pools with infected pests, Brannon said. Four people were infected, but no one has contracted the virus this year, he added.
The agency has mostly seen the southern house mosquitoes which usually strike at dusk and dawn, Brannon said. The “ankle biters” will bite all day and can breed in homes, but those usually are seen later in the summer, Brannon said.
The southern house mosquito usually needs a large body of water to breed in, but the ankle biters can breed in a capful of water, he said.
The southern house mosquitoes can be warded off with any sort of repellant, but insect spray with 30% DEET is recommended for the ankle biters.
Residents are advised to use a fan, which can blow away the weak fliers, Brannon said. Residents should also make sure screens are in good order and to dump stagnant water at least once a week.