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Santa Ana neighborhood where invasive Aedes mosquito was found to be sprayed

An experiment to reduce the mosquito population
An experiment to reduce the mosquito population 06:08

A Santa Ana neighborhood will be sprayed Wednesday and Thursday to help cut down on the mosquito population, city officials said.

The Orange County Mosquito and Vector Control District says they have found an increase in the population of the invasive Aedes mosquito in a Santa Ana neighborhood, so "residential mosquito control applications" have been scheduled for this week.

The mosquito control application will take place between 2 and 5 a.m. on Wednesday and Thursday in the neighborhoods west of South Greenville Street to South Bristol Street, and north of Edinger to McFadden Avenue. The mosquito spray will be distributed from backpacks, trucks, helicopters, or airplanes, based on elevated mosquito counts or West Nile virus activity, according to vector control district officials.

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Female Aedes aegypti mosquito in the process of seeking out a penetrable site on the skin surface of the human host, 2006. Image courtesy Centers for Disease Control (CDC) / James Gathany. (Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)

Southern California typically sees an increase in the mosquito population during the hot summer months, which increases the risk of West Nile virus, which can cause fever, headache, body aches, nausea, vomiting, and sometimes swollen lymph glands or a skin rash on the chest, stomach and back. The invasive Aedes mosquito, which is black with distinctive white stripes and are active during the day, is also known for spreading diseases like Zika, dengue, yellow fever and chikungya.

For more information, visit the Orange County Mosquito and Vector Control District.

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