Mosquito control district warns of invasive Aedes and encourages residents to drain standing water

Luz Maria Robles, public information officer for the Sacramento–Yolo Mosquito Vector Control District, told the Galt City Council on June 16 that West Nile virus activity remained low in the city so far but that invasive Aedes mosquitoes — aggressive day‑biters capable of transmitting dengue — have been detected in northern Galt.

Robles described the district’s integrated mosquito management program: public education campaigns, extensive surveillance and laboratory testing of mosquitoes and dead birds, provision of mosquito‑eating fish for water features, and pilot sterile‑insect‑technique trials that released Wolbachia‑infected sterile males in parts of Sacramento County. She said the district offers free home inspections and treatments when warranted and free mosquito fish for ponds and troughs.

Robles urged residents to check yards weekly and drain or treat any containers that hold water for more than a week. She noted that a single neglected pool can produce roughly “a million mosquitoes over the course of a summer” and emphasized that female mosquitoes are the biting sex. Council members asked about reporting standing water along local trails and staff said the district assigns technicians to routine creek and trail checks and can apply treatments on 30/60/90‑day schedules where appropriate.

Robles also encouraged residents to report day‑biting mosquito complaints to the district to help target surveillance and control. Council thanked the district for outreach offers to community events and for supplying repellent wipes for public gatherings.

Robles’s presentation referenced the California Health and Safety Code as the district’s operating authority and noted statewide surveillance numbers and CDC estimates for underreporting of West Nile disease.