By
February 24, 2026 / 5:52 PM PST / CBS LA
The warm weather following Southern California's recent storms has created a ripe breeding ground for mosquitoes.
While making rounds in Orange County neighborhoods, Vector Control inspectors said they've seen the largest number of mosquitoes in the past five years.
"We are seeing five times as many mosquitoes at this time of year over the five-year average," said Brian Brannon, an inspector with the Orange County Vector Control. "There's a lot of mosquito breeding going on right now."
Vector Control said the new mosquitoes grow within a week after breeding. It only takes a capful of standing water to create a breeding ground for the itchy insects.
"A bottle cap of water can breed up to 100 mosquitoes," inspector Danny Bui said.
Some other common places for mosquito breeding grounds include plant saucers, buckets, and flower containers that don't fully drain.
Pest control experts asked residents to search their yards for containers filled with water during the recent storms and to dump them at least once a week.
Brannon said the mosquitoes could multiply by the time summer comes around.
"This is terrible news going into summer," Brannon said. "The more that are out there now, exponentially, there's going to be that many more later. We really have to focus in and get rid of that water wherever we can."
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