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The Alameda County Mosquito Abatement District will be conducting larval treatment in the early morning Friday in the Altamont Creek neighborhood of northeastern Livermore.
After an invasive mosquito, Aedes aegypti, was detected in the area last week, the district is taking action to prevent additional adults from emerging.
Aedes aegypti is a dangerous mosquito that lays eggs in containers, with larvae hatching in standing water, district officials said in a statement Thursday.
Mosquitoes cannot complete their life cycle without standing water, therefore treating the water is the best and most convenient way to prevent future mosquitoes. By treating water sources — especially hidden ones, also known as “cryptic” sources, like garden tools, toys, tarps, and pots — the district can make water inhospitable to mosquitoes while keeping it safe for people, pets and wildlife.
“We have made concerted efforts to access properties in and around the detection sites of this mosquito,” said field operations supervisor Joseph Huston. The access granted by many residents has been a great help; however, there are numerous properties we have not been able to access. In an effort to control the spread of this invasive mosquito, we will be performing a wide area larval control treatment operation. The goal is to get material that will kill larvae up and over buildings and into cryptic sources we are unable to access,” he added.
The treatment process includes using VectoBac WDG insecticide with the active ingredient Bti (Bacillus thuringiensis sub-species israelensis).
Bti is a naturally occurring bacteria found in soil, and it produces crystal shaped proteins which kill only the larval stage of mosquitoes, black flies and midges. It is non-toxic and non-pathogenic to humans, birds, fish, mammals and beneficial insects (e.g., pollinators), according to district officials. The insecticide is applied using a truck-mounted, ultra-low volume sprayer.
The larval treatment is set to take place from 3-5 a.m. Friday morning. During that time, residents are encouraged to remain indoors. The specific location for the planned treatment is the area between Tiffany Common and Owl Way, bounded by N Vasco Road and Hawk Street.
Officials warned that the treatment may leave a light residue, but it will wash away with water, and it is safe to drain into the sewer.
