Vicious ‘ankle-biting’ mosquitoes capable of spreading dengue fever invade SoCal

These mosquitoes don’t wait for dusk and pounce directly on your ankles!

Yellow fever mosquitoes native to sub-Saharan Africa have wreaked havoc on several neighborhoods in Southern California’s scenic coastal areas.

The Santa Barbara County Mosquito and Vector Management District confirmed that four “Aedes aegypti” bloodsuckers were found Oct. 30 near North Voluntario and East Cota streets.

The agency said a total of four “Aedes aegypti” mosquitoes, capable of causing dengue fever, were trapped in different locations in Santa Barbara last week. Two were found near North Voluntario and Cota streets, one at Laguna and East Carrillo and one near East Victoria and Olive.

According to the district, the same species was found Oct. 20 in eastern Goleta Valley, near Turnpike Road and Calle Real, and in Carpinteria in July.

A second non-native species is already present in town. Australian mosquitoes, “Aedes notoscriptus,” were found on the West Side of Santa Barbara in March and in the Mesa neighborhood in June.

Both species like to bite around the feet and ankles, and they do this during the day, both indoors and outdoors. Residents tormented by the pests have nicknamed them “ankle biters.”

“Please contact the District if you become bitten by aggressive mosquitoes indoors or outdoors during the day,” the agency said, asking residents to call 805-969-5050 or send a message through the “Contact Us” page on its website.

Dengue fever is often accompanied by intense body aches, earning it the nickname “broken fever.”

According to the Mayo Clinic, individuals typically experience symptoms 4 to 10 days after being bitten by an infected mosquito.

Santa Barbara’s problems come as the entire region is in the grip of what many residents are calling a year of agony. Record heat waves and threats of El Niño have transformed Southern California into a breeding paradise for the winged pests.

“I’ve been here my whole life and the amount of mosquitoes I’ve seen this summer is insane,” one woman said in a TikTok video that attracted more than 21,000 likes.

Los Angeles County has recorded more than 180 cases of West Nile virus this year, the highest spike in nearly a decade, according to the local public health department.

The Culex mosquito, native to the area, catches West Nile from wild birds before transmitting it to humans. In neighboring Orange County, vector control officials have deployed a staggering 850 traps loaded with West Nile-positive insects, the Guardian reports.

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