UC fights a mosquito new to California

Return to Welcome to UCCE Capitol Corridor

Aedes aegypti mosquito perched on a researcher's finger.

Aedes aegypti mosquito perched on a scientist's finger. (Photo: Jodi Holeman, Consolidated Mosquito Abatement District.)

UC researcher Anton Cornel, based at the UC Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Parlier and affiliated with UC Davis, is conducting research aimed at eradicating Aedes Agypti mosquitos, a type of mosquito that is new to the state of California, reported Sasha Khokha on The California Report.

The mosquitos - which can transmit dengue fever, yellow fever and chikungunya - were found in Clovis, Madera and San Mateo last year. Cornel has deployed 146 traps provided by the Centers for Disease Control in a Clovis neighborhood to see if they will knock down the population of the unwelcome pest.

Unlike more sophisticated traps that cost hundreds of dollars, the traps being used in Clovis are handmade in Puerto Rico for about $6 each, Khokha reported.

"(Mosquitos) are attracted to this trap to lay their eggs in, they get stuck to the glue, and of course, that's the end of the mosquito," Cornel said.

Listen to the story on The California Report by clicking the link below:

Attached Files