An update from the Alameda County
Mosquito Abatement District
Protecting public health by controlling
mosquitoes in Alameda County since
1930
Presented by:
Ryan Clausnitzer, MPA; General Manager
Hayward City Council
October 6th, 2026
Overview
• About Alameda County MAD
• Mosquito control responses to
diseases, such as:
o Dengue
o Malaria
o West Nile virus
1915 Mosquito Abatement Act of California
Authorized government agencies to “Take any and all necessary or proper actions to prevent the occurrence of vectors and vectorborne diseases.”
o Gave power to tax, form boards, and abate (access & impose fines for mosquito control) California Health and Safety Code
Funding
mosquito control
$5.8
million
ad valorum
property tax
special tax & benefit
assessment
OPEB
interest earned
0.0009% of assessed
property value
Mosquito Life Cycle
What do mosquitoes need to reproduce?
1. A blood meal from animals
or humans to produce eggs
2. Standing water to lay eggs
(can be as small as a bottle
cap of water!)
3. 5 days to 2 weeks to hatch
and develop
Where do mosquitoes come from in Alameda County?
23 mosquito species in Alameda County
Trap, identify, and test mosquitoes
Larval & adult mosquito control methods
Mosquito-borne pathogens of
concern for CA
Arboviruses
o Dengue virus (DENV)
o Chikungunya virus
(CHIKV)
o Zika virus (ZIKV)
o West Nile virus (WNV) Protozoan
o Malaria (Plasmodium spp.)
Anopheles freeborni can spread malaria
• Present in California
• Found in stagnant
water, often in algal
masses near creeks
Culex spp. found in various sources
Primary dengue vectors in California
Aedes aegypti
(yellow fever mosquito) Aedes albopictus
(tiger mosquito)
Aedes aegypti in Alameda County
• Bite during the day, often around
the ankles and legs
• Lay eggs that survive 6+ months
on containers or plants
• Can spread dengue,
chikungunya, Zika, and yellow
fever
• Live near homes and prefers to
bite people
Female Aedes aegypti
Aedes aegypti eggs
2026 West Nile virus
activity in Alameda
County & Aedes
aegypti detections
3 adult
Aedes
aegypti
found in
Haward in
2026, 2 in
Castro
Valley
Innovative Mosquito Reduction
How does this method use
Wolbachia?
ACMAD encourages residents to:
1. Drain, flip, toss any containers that
can hold water.
2. Contact us for mosquitofish, biting
mosquitoes, standing water
3. Keep swimming pools treated and
maintained.
4. Cover rain barrels.
5. Keep an eye out for:
1. Mosquito larvae and pupae
2. Mosquito bites
3. Dead birds
Thank you!
[email protected]