Yellow fever mosquito spotted in this Roseville neighborhood, vector officials say
An invasive strain of yellow fever mosquitoes were spotted in Roseville’s Stanford community, according to Placer County vector control officials who are asking residents to be vigilant against the flying insect.
The public health officials made the discovery Thursday and do not yet know the extent of the infestation. They are asking residents to allow their technicians to inspect front and backyards of nearby homes in the Stanford neighborhood, which sits along the border of Rocklin and is bounded by Highway 65 to the south and west, Powder Pass Drive to the north and Stanford Ranch Road to the east.
The mosquito can transmit viruses including Zika, dengue, chikungunya and yellow fever. Those viruses have not circulated in California this year.
The mosquito, Aedes aegypti, is a small mosquito with black-and-white striped legs and a white, violin-shaped marking on its back. It has been spreading throughout the state since 2013, but the species wasn’t first located in Placer County until 2019.
Placer vector officials are asking residents to report unusual daytime mosquito biting to the district; eliminate standing water, runoff or pooling from irrigation systems; and use EPA-registered repellents to prevent mosquito bites. Residents are encouraged to visit Placer Mosquito and Vector Control’s website at placermosquito.org to find a list of EPA-registered repellents.
Aedes aegypti can lay eggs in spaces as small as a bottle cap. Most other types of mosquito eggs need water to survive, but the species also can lie dormant for months, springing to life when water eventually does return.
Stanford is the latest south Placer neighborhood where the mosquito has been spotted, officials said Friday.
Vector officials logged an earlier sighting in Granite Bay in July 2022, followed by a sighting of yet more mosquitoes and larvae less than a month later in August in four Roseville neighborhoods: Cherry Glen, Cresthaven, Hillcrest and Thelles Manor.
For more information, call the district at 916-380-5444; visit placermosquito.com or follow the district on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok.
