Sacramento-Yolo mosquito district urges Galt residents to report standing water, describes new tools to curb invasive species

Gary Goodman, district manager for the Sacramento-Yolo Mosquito and Vector Control District, told the Galt City Council the district’s priority is protecting public health from mosquito-borne disease. “Our goal is to try to protect public health from mosquito borne disease,” Goodman said, outlining surveillance and control work across Sacramento and Yolo counties.

Goodman said the district has tracked West Nile virus in Sacramento County since 2004 and that most infections are not reported because mild cases never see a doctor. He described the district’s integrated mosquito management: public information and outreach, daily surveillance with traps, biological control using Gambusia (“mosquito fish”), ecological work with large landowners and direct control of larvae and adult mosquitoes. “We set traps throughout our district. We collect traps every single day,” Goodman said, describing species identification and laboratory testing.

The manager flagged invasive Aedes aegypti (the Asian tiger mosquito), first detected in the district in 2019, as a growing concern because it breeds around homes and can transmit dengue, Zika and chikungunya. Goodman said the district plans to test a commercially available sterile insect technique (SIT) this year in Natomas, where sterile or sterilized male mosquitoes are released to reduce reproduction. “We’re not trying to eliminate or eradicate it by any means. We’re just trying to get the numbers down to where we don't have a risk of human transmission of disease,” Goodman said.

Goodman described services available to Galt residents: same-day or next-day site visits for complaints, free mosquito fish placement where appropriate, free repellent wipes for public events, yellowjacket identification and tick surveillance in foothill areas. He also invited residents to sign up at fightthebite.net and said the district will email neighborhoods before adult mosquito control operations in their ZIP code. Goodman noted Marcia Mooney represents Galt on the district’s board and that the district coordinates with neighboring districts, including San Joaquin County, when activity crosses borders.

Council members asked about neighboring San Joaquin County’s performance and the district’s response times; Goodman said technicians typically respond within an hour or up to 24 hours. He also described how the district notifies neighborhood groups and councils by email when virus-positive mosquitoes are found or when adult control is planned.

The presentation included technical context about where mosquitoes breed (standing, stagnant water such as rice fields, irrigation ditches, unmaintained pools and horse troughs) and why some species are harder to detect because they breed in private yards. Goodman emphasized resident action: inspect and remove standing water and call the district for help.

The council did not take formal action on the presentation; members asked clarifying questions and thanked the presenter.