Heavy winter snowfall leads to major mosquito season in Placer County
PLACER COUNTY — This winter's heavy snowfall is causing an explosion of mosquitos in Placer County. It's a problem that stretches all the way up to the high country.
No matter where you go in Placer County, you're probably going to run into these pests, and it's Joel Buettner and his team's job to mitigate the mosquitos.
"This is the busiest week we've had so far," Buettner told CBS Sacramento.
He is the general manager of the Placer Mosquito and Vector Control District and said the problem is twofold. One is the so-called snowmelt mosquitos, up in the high country.
"They don't carry West Nile but they are very aggressive biters to people," Buettner said. "These are the ones that most people who go up in the mountains, or vacation there, or go hiking, get bitten by these mosquitos."
Now that the weather is getting warmer, there's more snowmelt and standing water, which means more mosquitos.
"It's not uncommon for this to happen, but it's kind of uncommon for it to happen this much and this late in the summer," Buettner said.
Down at lower elevations, there is a more serious problem.
"We are definitely seeing significant amounts of West Nile-carrying mosquitos," Buettner said. "They are abundant. This past week with the 100-degree temps, we've seen many, many, many times more mosquitos this week than we have previously this year."
To combat the problem, they're using a number of tactics, including drones.
"We monitor somewhere upward of 50,000 sites in Placer County," Buettner said.
This means when it comes to mosquitos, he and his team are busy year-round.
County officials say people need to take preventative measures, including wearing long sleeves and pants, as well as using mosquito repellent.
