Once Bitten? Mosquito Surge Reported Along Martinez Waterfront

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CA -- A surge in the mosquito population around the Martinez waterfront prompted Contra Costa County officials to schedule pesticide spraying for early Friday morning.

The county's Mosquito and Vector Control District used a truck to fog the area with the insecticide Zenivex E4 starting at 4 a.m. and ending at about 6:30 a.m.

The truck traversed the area bounded by the Carquinez Strait shoreline in the north, Shell Avenue in the south, Interstate Highway 680 in the east and Alhambra Avenue in the west, according to district officials.

The insecticide was applied at the rate of 1.5 ounces per acre by truck-mounted, "ultra-low-volume" sprayers, according to the district.

"The majority of the district's mosquito control is completed when mosquitoes are still in their aquatic form, in their water source," district General Manager Craig Downs said in a statement. "Once mosquitoes emerge from the water as adults, the only effective method to control them is by using pesticides."

By Bay City News/Image via Getty Images