Heavy Rains Followed By Warm Temperatures Is Heaven For Mosquitoes
PLACER COUNTY (CBS13) — More rain could mean more mating for mosquitoes as pools of water abound through the Sacramento region.
The heavy rain from the past two weeks is over, but it's left plenty of places for mosquitoes to mate and lay their eggs.
Ada Barros with Placer County Vector Control says low-lying areas filling up with water is good news for mosquitoes.
"More areas where there is standing water and water collecting, more places for mosquitoes to lay their little eggs," she said.
They'll do that almost anywhere, from small ponds to plant pots, to even puddles of melted snow.
It's up to vector control technicians like Mike Ashley to scout out exactly which bodies of water need to be treated, including abandoned pools. He checks to see if there are mosquito larvae.
"Right now is actually the ideal time of year for us to start putting mosquito fish in closed water areas," Barros said.
Placer County keeps the fish in tanks to breed and grow. Barros says killing the larvae now keeps the insects from swarming when temperatures start to rise.
"Mosquito lifecycles speed up a little bit faster when the temperatures are warmer," Barros said.
That could happen with temperatures expected to hit the 70s this week, meaning it's time to prepare by removing hidden stashes of water.
