Why LA Mosquitoes Bite During the Day Now (and How to Stop Them)
Invasive 'ankle biter' Aedes mosquitoes have spread across Los Angeles. Here's why they bite in daylight, where they breed in your yard, and how to cut them down.
If you grew up in Los Angeles, you probably remember mosquitoes as an evening problem — a few bites at a summer barbecue after sunset. Over the last decade that has changed. Many LA homeowners now get bitten in the middle of the afternoon, usually around the ankles, by small black-and-white mosquitoes that seem impossible to swat.
Those are invasive Aedes mosquitoes, often called “ankle biters.” They are now established across much of Los Angeles County, and they behave very differently from the native mosquitoes most of us grew up with.
What makes ankle biters different
- They bite during the day. Native mosquitoes are most active at dusk and dawn. Aedes mosquitoes bite all day, especially in shady areas.
- They stay low. They tend to fly close to the ground and bite ankles and lower legs.
- They breed in tiny amounts of water. A bottle cap of water is enough. They do not need a pond or a swamp.
- They stay close to home. These mosquitoes usually don’t travel far from where they hatched. If you have them, they are almost certainly breeding on your property or a neighbor’s.
Where they breed in a typical LA yard
Walk your yard once a week and look for anything that holds water:
- Saucers under potted plants
- Buckets, watering cans, and tarps
- Bromeliads and other plants that hold water in their leaves
- Clogged rain gutters
- Pet water bowls and bird baths that aren’t refreshed
- Kids’ toys, wheelbarrows, and old tires
- Drains and valve boxes for irrigation
Eggs stick to the inside of containers right at the waterline and can survive dry for months. That’s why simply emptying a saucer isn’t always enough — scrub it out too, or the eggs hatch the next time it fills.
What actually works
Tip and toss weekly. Empty, scrub, and flip anything that holds water. It’s the single most effective thing a homeowner can do.
Treat where adults rest. During the day, adult mosquitoes rest in shady, humid spots — under dense shrubs, behind fences, and under decks. A professional treatment targets those resting sites, which is where most of the population is at any given time.
Treat water you can’t remove. For drains, valve boxes, and water features, a larvicide stops larvae from developing into biting adults.
Stay on a schedule. A single treatment helps, but new mosquitoes keep arriving from neighboring yards. Monthly service through the warm months keeps the population down all season.
When to call a professional
If you’re doing the weekly tip-and-toss and still can’t sit outside in the afternoon, it’s time for a treatment program. Lion Gate’s mosquito control service combines resting-site treatments, standing-water inspection, and larvicide in the spots you can’t drain — so you can get your yard back.
