As mosquitoes go year-round in L.A., a promising fix hits a snag

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Residents were supposed to get a respite from the ankle-nipping mosquitoes that fueled a recent surge in dengue fever in Los Angeles County.Typically, the invasive mosquitoes — called Aedes aegypti — essentially disappear from winter until early May in the region.Instead, complaints to local agencies tasked with controlling the pests spiked recently.

“We have not seen them go away altogether like they have in previous years,” said Susanne Kluh, general manager for the Greater Los Angeles County Vector Control District.Their unusual presence adds to the urgency of work going on in a 40-foot shipping container tucked away in Pacoima.

It’s about to transform into a bustling nursery for tens of thousands of mosquitoes.This May, the district is set for the third year in a row to release legions of sterilized male mosquitoes — which don’t bite — into parts of Sunland-Tujunga.The last two years were promising, with the female population in two treated neighborhoods plunging by an average of more than 80%.

Yet business owners have signaled they’re not willing to pay to expand it.That’s thrown uncertainty into officials’ goal of eventually bringing the approach to their whole service area, spanning 36 cities and unincorporated communities.

“Unfortunately, that’s going to be a rather expensive endeavor,” said Steve Vetrone, an assistant general manager for the district.“I can tell you right now that’s not something that we can do with our current operating budget.”Aedes aegypti are a new-ish local fixture.

Native to Africa, the black-and-white striped mosquitoes were first detected in California in 2013 and landed in L.A.County the following year.

“Despite our best efforts, they’ve been able to just outpace us, and they’re now in every city and community within our district,” and all of Southern California, Vetrone said.In fact, the low-fly...