{"id":673668,"date":"2026-03-22T11:33:21","date_gmt":"2026-03-22T11:33:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/673668\/"},"modified":"2026-03-22T11:33:21","modified_gmt":"2026-03-22T11:33:21","slug":"a-mosquito-control-tool-faces-a-hurdle-getting-l-a-property-owners-to-pay","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/673668\/","title":{"rendered":"A mosquito-control tool faces a hurdle: getting L.A. property owners to pay"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Residents were supposed to get a respite from the ankle-nipping mosquitoes that fueled a <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/california\/story\/2024-09-30\/l-a-county-faces-unprecedented-dengue-transmission-climate-change-may-make-it-worse-experts-say\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">recent surge in dengue fever<\/a> in Los Angeles County. <\/p>\n<p>Typically, the invasive mosquitoes \u2014 called Aedes aegypti \u2014 essentially disappear from winter until early May in the region.<\/p>\n<p>Instead, complaints to local agencies tasked with controlling the pests <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/california\/story\/2026-02-27\/mosquitoes-are-back-with-bite-in-socal-why-theyre-nibbling-in-winter\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">spiked recently.<\/a> <\/p>\n<p>           <video playsinline=\"playsinline\" loop=\"\" preload=\"none\" title=\"A mosquito-control tool faces a hurdle: getting L.A. property owners to pay\" data-video-id=\"0000019d-0cdf-d996-a3dd-9eff7fcb0000\">               <\/video>               <img class=\"image\" alt=\"\"   width=\"473\" height=\"840\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1774179198_488_.jpeg\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"\/>             <\/p>\n<ul data-element=\"action-bar-menu\" class=\"flex gap-2 list-none  absolute w-full h-10 top-0\">\n<li data-element=\"action-bar-share\" class=\"flex  w-full h-10 top-0 lg:items-center lg:justify-center \">\n<p> Share via     Close extra sharing options  <\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u201cWe have not seen them go away altogether like they have in previous years,\u201d said Susanne Kluh, general manager for the Greater Los Angeles County Vector Control District. <\/p>\n<p>Their unusual presence adds to the urgency of work going on in a 40-foot shipping container tucked away in Pacoima. It\u2019s about to transform into a bustling nursery for tens of thousands of mosquitoes.<\/p>\n<p>This May, the district is set for the third year in a row to release legions of sterilized male mosquitoes \u2014 which don\u2019t bite \u2014 into parts of Sunland-Tujunga. <\/p>\n<p>The last two years were promising, with the female population in two treated neighborhoods plunging by an average of more than 80%. <\/p>\n<p>Yet business owners have signaled they\u2019re not willing to pay to expand it. <\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s thrown uncertainty into officials\u2019 goal of eventually bringing the approach to their whole service area, spanning 36 cities and unincorporated communities. <\/p>\n<p>            <img class=\"image\" alt=\"Steve Vetrone, assistant general manager at the Greater L.A. vector district. \"   width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1774179199_212_.jpeg\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"\/>         <\/p>\n<p>Steve Vetrone, assistant general manager at the Greater L.A. district. <\/p>\n<p>(Ronaldo Bolanos \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUnfortunately, that\u2019s going to be a rather expensive endeavor,\u201d said Steve Vetrone, an assistant general manager for the district. \u201cI can tell you right now that\u2019s not something that we can do with our current operating budget.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A need, an ask and a disappointing answer<\/p>\n<p>Aedes aegypti are a new-ish local fixture.  Native  to Africa, the black-and-white striped mosquitoes were first detected in California in 2013 and <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.glamosquito.org\/district-history\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">landed in L.A. County<\/a> the following year. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cDespite our best efforts, they\u2019ve been able to just outpace us, and they\u2019re now in every city and community within our district,\u201d and all of Southern California, Vetrone said. In fact, the low-flying, day-biting mosquitoes are present in <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cdph.ca.gov\/Programs\/CID\/DCDC\/Pages\/AedesDetectionsByCountyCity.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">nearly half<\/a> of California\u2019s counties, including Shasta in the far north.<\/p>\n<p>Desperate to find a solution, many are <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/environment\/story\/2024-04-25\/mosquito-season-is-upon-us-so-why-are-socal-officials-releasing-more-of-them\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">trying the so-called sterile insect technique<\/a> \u2014 including vector control districts serving Orange and San Bernardino counties, as well as the San Gabriel Valley \u2014 and \u201cwe kind of all hope that this is going to be our silver bullet,\u201d Kluh said. <\/p>\n<p>The idea is fairly simple: unleash sterile males so that they far outnumber wild ones \u2014 say, 10 to 1 or even 100 to 1. The goal is for the altered males to mate with females, producing eggs that don\u2019t hatch. <\/p>\n<p>Kluh\u2019s district uses X-rays to sterilize males but there are other methods, such as using genetically modified insects or ones infected with bacteria.<\/p>\n<p>            <img class=\"image\" alt=\"White mesh boxes holding mosquitoes on shelves inside a shipping container.\"   width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1774179200_136_.jpeg\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"\/>         <\/p>\n<p>Female mosquitoes are fed different types of blood \u2014 pig and cow \u2014 to see which leads to the most eggs.<\/p>\n<p>(Ronaldo Bolanos \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n<p>The technique, while promising, requires time and money.<\/p>\n<p>In California, property owners foot the bill for local mosquito (and other pest) control, with some paying an annual fee called a benefit assessment. <\/p>\n<p>Levying a new fee requires approval from home, apartment and business owners, in accordance with Proposition 218.<\/p>\n<p>To unleash sterile male mosquitoes in a broader swath of the Greater L.A. district, officials are seeking up to $20 a year per single family home. That would be on top of $18.97 that homeowners now pay for the agency\u2019s services.<\/p>\n<p>Last April, the district sent out 50,000 sample ballots to property owners, asking if they\u2019d support the increase. <\/p>\n<p>Only 47% of those returned were in favor. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cData showed that single family homeowners were pretty supportive, but fewer business owners with larger parcels and potentially higher dues did not see the benefit in the additional expense,\u201d Kluh said in an email.<\/p>\n<p>Business owners might not live in the area, but their vote \u2014 if their property spans several acres \u2014 is weighted more heavily. <\/p>\n<p>Times readers, commenting <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/environment\/story\/2025-05-06\/sterile-male-mosquitoes-los-angeles-san-bernardino-dengue-aedes\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">on a story from last year<\/a> about the proposal, responded favorably. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cI hate mosquitos because they love me so much,\u201d one reader said. \u201cI would happily spend $20 to reduce their populations! I probably spend more [than] that on repellent.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Officials haven\u2019t given up, and plan to send out another round of sample ballots next year. <\/p>\n<p>Kluh already has talking points for businesses in her back pocket: Restaurant owners should have an interest in making outdoor dining more pleasant, while apartment owners could lose revenue if their renters are sickened by an outbreak of Zika, chikungunya or yellow fever \u2014 all diseases transmitted by Aedes aegypti, she said.<\/p>\n<p>Making mosquitoes that can\u2019t reproduce<\/p>\n<p>On a recent tour of the Pacoima insectary, Nicolas Tremblay, a senior vector ecologist with the district, whipped out a small container filled with a handful of what looked like vitamins.<\/p>\n<p>But the clear pill cases were filled with about 6,500 mosquito eggs and bovine liver powder.<\/p>\n<p>            <img class=\"image\" alt=\"Nicolas Tremblay, senior vector ecologist, places tape on water-filled trays in the Pacoima insectary. \"   width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1774179201_636_.jpeg\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"\/>         <\/p>\n<p>Nicolas Tremblay, senior vector ecologist, tapes trays to indicate pill capsules filled with mosquito eggs were placed in water.<\/p>\n<p>(Ronaldo Bolanos \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n<p>The pills are dropped into trays of water, where the eggs hatch and the larvae feed on the powder. It takes about nine days to go from egg to buzzing adult.<\/p>\n<p>The males are then chauffeured to Garden Grove, where they\u2019re zapped with  X-rays. Then they\u2019re driven back and set free the next day. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s crazier around August, September, is when we\u2019ll probably reach our peak production\u201d of up to 72,000 mosquitoes a week, he said. \u201cAll these [trays] would be full of water and mosquitoes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In 2024, the district launched its pilot, releasing nearly 600,000 sterilized males in two Sunland-Tujunga neighborhoods over about five months.<\/p>\n<p>The population of Aedes aegypti females dropped by an average of 82% compared with a control area. <\/p>\n<p>The stakes became clear that year, when California reported 18 locally acquired dengue cases \u2014 a sharp rise from the first-ever cases confirmed the year before.<\/p>\n<p>Last year, the pilot saw similar success, though there was also a natural drop in activity districtwide. <\/p>\n<p>On the recent visit to the insectary, several hundred mosquitoes flew around in white mesh cages, serving as participants in a study to see which blood they prefer \u2014 pig or cow.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe haven\u2019t completed the trials yet, but it seems like they didn\u2019t care,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>One thing scientists already know: Aedes aegypti love biting people.<\/p>\n<p>A highly adaptive foe<\/p>\n<p>The invasive mosquitoes can lay their eggs in tiny amounts of water. A bottle cap or crease in a potato chip bag is fair game. <\/p>\n<p>What\u2019s more, mosquitoes in the Greater L.A. district are resistant to a lot of pesticides. <\/p>\n<p>Now, there might be a new concern. Typically, the invasive mosquitoes go into a type of hibernation every year. <\/p>\n<p>Kluh said it appeared that they may have mutated in a way that allows them to stay active through the winter. <\/p>\n<p>A warming climate has already expanded their season and allowed them to move into formerly inhospitable regions. <\/p>\n<p>Releasing sterilized males involves no pesticides, and also leverages the insect\u2019s biology: Males in lust are adept at finding females.<\/p>\n<p>Many residents are thrilled by the promising tool, but others bristle at the idea of manipulating nature.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s folks that are in favor and then there are folks that are just absolutely opposed because it\u2019s like, \u2018You\u2019re playing God,\u2019\u201d Vetrone said. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Residents were supposed to get a respite from the ankle-nipping mosquitoes that fueled a recent surge in dengue&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":673669,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5123],"tags":[284179,9097,27913,1582,276,6279,71953,284180,284182,284181,2961,224,5337,62494,53723,1408,284178,527,1628],"class_list":["post-673668","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-los-angeles","tag-aedes","tag-apartment","tag-business-owner","tag-ca","tag-california","tag-district","tag-egg","tag-female-population","tag-invasive-mosquito","tag-l-a-property-owner","tag-la","tag-los-angeles","tag-losangeles","tag-male","tag-mosquito","tag-official","tag-susanne-kluh","tag-water","tag-year"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116272615310885349","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/673668","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=673668"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/673668\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/673669"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=673668"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=673668"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=673668"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}