Short Bites Monthly

Your digest for October 2025.

Hand holding phone with mosquito image, surrounded by yellow lines, text: "October Update."

This Short Bites Monthly e-blast shares insight into the past year’s activity. This ensures that our data as a public health agency remains transparent to the public and to people who are interested in our mission.

May contain: pickup truck, transportation, truck, vehicle, person, clothing, footwear, and shoe — **We continue to provide the highest level of protection from vectors and vector-borne diseases to reduce outbreaks of human diseases in San Gabriel Valley.**

District Communication

Happy Halloween from your local mosquito & vector control district!

This spooky season, the weather has been full of tricks. Dewy days and warm nights brew the perfect storm for mosquitoes, so be sure to wear repellent when trick-or-treating to keep the deadliest animal on the planet off of you— mosquitoes.

How to avoid frights and bites this Halloween

Rain showers can quickly turn everyday items in your yard into breeding grounds. Do a quick 10-minute inspection weekly: toss out unneeded containers and tip over anything that’s collected water. Even the smallest puddles can hatch a swarm of uninvited guests.

Outreach In Your Community

Mosquito Activity In Your Community

Map showing parts of Los Angeles, Pasadena, and surrounding areas with various blue markers. — *Image of this month's mosquito activity by latitude and longitude. Bubble size indicates mosquito abundance per trap.*

Line chart of average mosquitoes per trap from 2021-2025, varying weekly trends. — *Image of weekly mosquito activity across the San Gabriel Valley compared to previous years, see 2025 data in red.*

Pie chart of mosquito species distribution: Cx quinquefasciatus 50.5%, Cx erythrothorax 36.17%, Ae aegypti 12.06%, others less. — *Image of this month’s mosquito trap collection by species throughout San Gabriel Valley.*

May contain: animal, insect, invertebrate, and mosquito — **We continue to maintain essential vector surveillance including mosquito traps for disease testing, providing weekly data to** **the District, and maintaining** **mosquito fish**.

SGV Mosquito Match

This month, SGV Mosquito Match released a small batch of sterile mosquito males in Bassett. This release will help surveillance staff learn how these mosquitoes do in our environment before our full program launches next summer. Don’t miss a release - sign up for SGV Mosquito Match updates on our landing page.

Get Updates!

A mosquito under a microscope, illuminated in blue light. — Image of a male mosquito marked with fluorescent blue dye to indicate a WB1 Male mosquito, that is part of our SGV Mosquito Match Program. Remember, male mosquitoes have fuzzy antennae and only female mosquitoes bite.

Dengue Response

The first locally acquired case of dengue has been reported in the San Gabriel Valley by the LA County Department of Public Health this month. The district is working with LACDPH to increase mosquito population surveillance, disease testing, control efforts, and community education to reduce the risk of dengue transmission and manage mosquito populations.

Dengue is spread by Aedes mosquitoes and can cause symptoms like high fever, pain behind the eyes, rash, and joint or muscle pain. Remember to use mosquito repellent when spending time outdoors or traveling to areas where mosquitoes are active.

May contain: animal, insect, and invertebrate — **We continue to provide excellent** **science education** **services and** **reduce mosquitoes in homes and schools** **within the San Gabriel Valley.**

Public Health Notification Posters

You may have come across our public health notification posters before, but did you know that if you scan the QR code, it takes you to our area wide treatment web page? This page keeps residents informed about any updates regarding treatment efforts in the community.

A person is attaching something to a stop sign on a street corner in Monterey Park. — *Image of a Communications Outreach Assistant zip tying a public health poster to notify the public about an upcoming mosquito control treatment in the area.*

Vector Inspector Program (V.I.P.)

Our Education Specialists are analyzing water samples submitted by students in the San Gabriel Valley as a part of our community science programs. Students are identifying more than just mosquitoes though, check out their microscope discoveries:

View V.I.P. Water Samples