culex

Of particular concern right now are native Culex mosquitoes, which can transmit deadly West Nile virus, Diaz said.

Culex mosquitoes typically target birds rather than humans, and tend to be satisfied with one slurp of blood, making them comparatively less annoying than Aedes mosquitoes.

Mosquito control experts tout sterilization for being environmentally friendly because it doesn’t involve spraying chemicals and officials could potentially use it to target other disease spreaders — such as the region’s native Culex mosquito, a carrier of the deadly West Nile virus.

Culex pipiens, the common house mosquito, has been found to carry and transmit the Usutu virus, originally discovered in the 1950s in Africa and present in Europe for the past three decades.

Six types of mosquitoes are found in California, but only the Culex mosquito can carry West Nile virus.