Mosquitoes in California

Newly arrived invasive mosquitoes are spreading around California: The main objective of this project is to help identify and track mosquitoes that transmit pathogens to people, domestic animals and wildlife. Two main species of concern are the Asian Tiger Mosquito (Aedes albopictus) and the Yellow-fever Mosquito (Aedes aegypti). These invasive species transmit a variety of viruses and were first detected in California in 2011 and 2013 respectively, and now have begun to spread throughout S. and C. California (see here and here for more information including an interactive map of these invasive species). Tracking and controlling these and several other species of mosquitoes that transmit harmful pathogens (such as dengue, chikunguynya, Zika and West-Nile Virus) is critical in in order to protect people, domestic animals and wildlife. At the same time, the majority of California mosquitoes are not significant vectors, yet are a part of aquatic and terrestrial food webs, so information on these species is also useful in that it can help us understand the diversity of species and their roles in California ecosystems.

What can we do about spreading invasive mosquito species? Finding out where mosquitoes have spread to is really hard. Mosquitoes are widespread and tiny and it takes a concerted effort to find out where each species resides and detect new arrivals before they get established. Once located, suppressing populations requires cleaning up breeding sites and more. The Mosquitos in California project was formed to extend our citizen science work on mosquitoes in Hawai`i. These citizen science projects, established in 2015, are powered by the primary social network for natural history: iNaturalist. The iNaturalist app allows individuals to take a photo of any living thing and upload it to the cloud to be identified by thousands of volunteers worldwide. By joining the mosquito project people can share their observations with an easy to use app and interact with a community of naturalist online using a state-of-the-art web portal (iNaturalist) with included machine learning algorithm to help identify mosquitoes.

The benefits of this activity are several fold: by identifying the species in your area you can learn how to better protect yourself and focus on eliminating the breeding sites for problematic species. Not only can you and your neighbors build awareness and respond to your immediate need, but you can use observations to point out mosquitoes that might be problematic to your local mosquito control district or vector control agency. Moreover, your observations contribute to a database that all can share to help focus efforts for mosquito control and elimination. Scientists can use this data to create fine scale distribution maps of mosquito ranges which will also help public health and vector control efforts. And it is fun to get a good photograph and learn a bit about insects!

So what, why care, Zika is over no? Over 500 million people are at risk for to mosquito borne viral pathogens every year. In addition to dengue, chikungunya and Zika virus have spread globally. Don't panic, it takes an infected person to move one of these viruses to California, but once here it is critical that mosquitoes don't bite the traveler and spark another epidemic. The best way to prevent this is to make mosquito awareness, clean up a regular part of life in California. This will also help reduce your risk of contracting other viruses that are found in California including West-Nile, St. Louis encephalitis and Western equine encephalitis virus.  The Mosquitoes in California Project is another way to keep the problem top of mind and keep residents and visitors safe.

What we are looking for: We want data on any mosquito you encounter but most importantly the main species the transmit harmful viruses is the container breeding species that loves humans the Yellow fever Mosquito (Aedes aegypti), and it's cousin the Asian Tiger Mosquito (Aedes albopictus). In addition, various species of Culex mosquitoes are vectors of West-Nile and encephalitis viruses. For more information see this guide to the main vector mosquitoes in California.

How can I get involved?

Download the iNaturalist app (iNaturalist App iPhone, iNaturalist App Android). Go to iNaturalist and set up an account (you can use your login from gmail or other account).  Follow this getting-started introductory material, sign up for the Mosquitoes in California Project and be sure to read the project terms.

Then take a picture and make a record. Here are the steps:

1. Capture a mosquito in a jar or other container or rear from larvae "wrigglers" found in your yard by placing them in a closed container. Place mosquitoes in a freezer for at least 1 hour to make sure they have expired. Remove and arrange mosquitoes on a a sheet of paper.

2. Take several pictures using the native camera app: focus on the legs, the hind end or abdomen and especially of the 'back' or thorax section! See tips on smart-phone photography here and here. 

3. Open the iNaturalist app on your smart phone and...

*Import the best pictures of a single individual insect to create your first record. Import as four or more pictures (four can be uploaded at once, so that is a good number). 

*Click on the 'What did you see field' and see the machine learning algorithm working to match your photo to its growing database! You can use the suggestion, or ignore it and put in your own. If you put in the family of mosquitoes Culicidae then the record will be automatically uploaded to this project ensuring we will see it. 

4. Double check the date, time and location are correct. You may adjust the date and time using the interactive chooser and the location by clicking on and dragging the crosshairs on the map in the app. 

5. Upload the record by tapping on the cloud icon and iNaturalist identifiers will help identify or confirm your mosquito identification!

Last but not least, be SAFE: Whenever studying nature it is important to be safe, the usual precautions for outdoor work apply, but also take proper precautions when seeking mosquitoes including long-sleeved shirts, long-pants, socks, shoes or boots and repellent. See the project terms to accept self responsibility.

And of course, if you do have a problem with mosquitoes or any other vector or pest, please contact the local authorities, in California all the information can be found here:

Find your local mosquito and vector control agency using information provided by the Mosquito and Vector Control Association of California http://www.mvcac.org/about/member-agencies/ or use the interactive map to see if you are covered.

Finally, refer to the useful information at the California Department of Public Health including information on cleaning up mosquito breeding sites.

Stay safe!

Durrell (@cydno)

Senior Research Fellow 
Institute for Biodiversity Science and Sustainability 
California Academy of Sciences 
www.calacademy.org less ↑