Mosquito Concerns Grow After Wet Bay Area Winter
BEL MARIN KEYS (KPIX 5) - The rain this year may have gotten us out of our drought but biologists are concerned about mosquitoes breeding in standing water in grassy swamps.
And while they haven't seen the transmission of diseases yet, it's a concern as temperatures are expected to warm up in the coming week.
In the waterfront community of Bel Marin Keys in Novato, residents have already started noticing the mosquitoes.
"Yes a lot of them swarms of mosquitoes," Eileen told KPIX 5.
Biologists say blame the rain for the increase in the mosquito population this season
"This year we're going to have little mosquito breeding sites where we didn't have them before," UC Berkeley horticulture adviser Steven Swain said.
The Sonoma Marin mosquito and vector control district says it has already identified more than 20,000 mosquito breeding sites in both counties.
But biologists are not just concerned about large areas. It's the smaller puddles of water in people's backyards. And as these mosquitoes breed, the potential for diseases increase.
"Malaria, Zika. West Nile a lot of the nasty stuff that humanity has to deal with is mosquito born diseases," Swain said.
Swain, who works for the University of California, says it's not a big concern now with the cooler temperatures, but the growth rate of mosquitoes increases as it gets warmer.
"They're worried that as the climate warms the mosquito will survive better and we'll be at greater risk of movement through the population of these diseases," said Swain.
The Sonoma Marin mosquito and vector district has taken action by treating large areas of water, but it's urging homeowners to be extra vigilant about any standing water around their homes.
