Mosquito Season May Be One of Area’s Worst : Pests: Hundreds of stagnant pools of water created by the county’s heavy winter rains have become breeding grounds.

The county’s heavy rainfall has ignited an early mosquito season that could become one of the worst ever, officials said.

Hundreds of stagnant bodies of water that emerged during the winter rainstorms now serve as mosquito breeding grounds, said Randy Smith, a county environmental health specialist.

“This could turn out to be a very bad mosquito season,” Smith said. “A large amount of rain has filled aquifers, and now the water remains on the earth’s surface. That’s a paradise for mosquitoes.”

The insects usually begin to proliferate in mid-May, but they began to reproduce a month earlier this year, Smith said.

“We’re getting a lot of complaints from residents saying they are being bothered by mosquitoes,” Smith said. “As the days get warmer, we expect to see an increase.”

Several residents have reported seeing the insects in areas where mosquitoes hadn’t been seen before, Smith said, blaming recently formed pools of water generated by rainfall.

Since Oct. 1, more than 30 inches of rain has fallen at the Ventura County Government Center, according to county records. Normal rainfall for the same period is 15 inches.

In addition to the new bodies of water, Smith said, back yard paraphernalia can turn into breeding grounds.

“If you have a small boat (stored) in the back yard, for example, it provides a perfect breeding place for mosquitoes,” Smith said. “Mosquitoes will use anything that holds water to hatch.”

A large bucket of water, for instance, can produce 10,000 mosquitoes in a 10-day period, he said.

The insects, which have a life span of a little more than a week, can be dangerous as well as irritating.

They can carry encephalitis, which causes swelling of the brain and can be fatal.

“Encephalitis is our biggest concern,” Smith said, adding that there was one case of encephalitis in Oxnard in 1992.

And while there has not been a case of malaria in the county in years, the strain of mosquito that transmits the disease has been seen near Fillmore, Smith said.

During mosquito season, the county’s Vector Control District sends seven technicians to about 500 sites to look for larvae and spray a thin layer of oil onto hotbeds of mosquito growth.

Technicians also might release mosquito-eating minnows or spread a poisonous bacterium called Bacillus thuringiensis.

“I don’t like them, but they love me,” technician Charles Genkel said as he examined a new pond in Oxnard. “I’ve been eaten alive many times.”

Genkel said he visits as many as 30 sites a day to check on the growth of mosquitoes.

Officials with the Moorpark Mosquito Abatement District--Moorpark is the only city not served by the county--said the number of mosquitoes in the city has doubled this year in comparison with last year.

“If we have long periods of hot weather, the mosquito problem could become serious,” Director Mark Westerline said.

He added that the number of flies in the area has increased because chicken manure from three ranches in the area has remained wet and is attracting houseflies as well as bright-green blowflies.

The ranches usually dry the manure out and sell it as fertilizer, but the rains have interfered this season, Westerline said.

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Mosquito Invasion Heavy rains have resulted in what could be the worst year for mosquitoes in two decades. One culprit is the Western encephalitis mosquito, which could spread encephalitis. *

Description: A quarter- inch long, Slender, with a long, needlelike “beak” and narrow wings. Males, which live from seven to 10 days, feed on plant juices and do not bite humans. Females, which live 30 days or more, obtain protein needed to lay their eggs from the blood of birds and mammals, thus transmitting encephalitis in the process. *

Breeding A female mosquito makes a high- pitched sound with its wings to attract a male. Mate only once in a lifetime. Prefer clear, sunlit water, to which to breed, such as abandoned swimming pools and roadside ditches. *

Life Cycle Between 100 and 300 eggs are laid on water or damp ground in an arrangement that looks like small raft. They hatch in two or three days in warm weather. Larvae feed on small aquatic plants and animals, then molt into active pupae. Adults emerge two to five days later at surface from floating pupae. *

Range Found mostly in Western states. Sources: Greater Los Angeles County Vector Control District; Audubon Society Pocket Guide; Familiar Insects and Spiders and World Book.