222 - SIT and the City: Two Years of Sterile Male Releases in Los Angeles

Thursday, March 26, 2026

9:40 AM - 9:50 AM PDT

Location: B116

Presenter(s)

Nicolas P. Tremblay, BS

Senior Vector Ecologist
Greater Los Angeles County Vector Control District, California, United States

Co-Author(s)

CM

Christie K. Miranda, BS

Scientific Technical Projects Assistant
Greater Los Angeles County Vector Control District, California, United States
SV

Steve Vetrone, MPH

Assistant General Manager, Vector Management Services
Greater Los Angeles County Vector Control District, California, United States
CC

Courtney A. Chagolla, MS

Vector Ecologist
Greater Los Angeles County Vector Control District, California, United States
RA

Ryan L. Amick, BS

Vector Ecologist
Greater Los Angeles County Vector Control District, California, United States
AC

Angela Caranci, n/a

Scientific-Technical Manager
Greater Los Angeles County VCD, California, United States

Abstract: In 2025, the Greater Los Angeles County Vector Control District (GLACVCD) completed its second year of Aedes aegypti sterile male releases as part of a Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) pilot project in the Sunland-Tujunga community. Each week from May through October, approximately 30,000 sterile males were reared in a modified shipping container insectary and released weekly across 34 sites within a 100-acre target area and a southern buffer zone. Twelve trap sites with BG-Sentinel traps and ovitraps were maintained in the release area, with an additional six sites in a nearby control zone to monitor population abundance and egg hatch rates. Despite overall lower Ae. aegypti activity across the District in 2025, the release area exhibited a noticeable reduction in adult abundance as well as lower egg hatch rates relative to the control area in both the 2024 and 2025 seasons. While the results from this second year demonstrate the continued effectiveness of SIT efforts, additional operational refinements are needed to support a more widespread SIT program to overcome regional and resource-specific challenges.