Dengue-Capable Mosquitoes Invade California City

Four dengue-capable mosquitoes got trapped around Santa Barbara last week, the Mosquito and Vector Management District confirms. More turned up earlier in Goleta Valley and Carpinteria, and Australian backyard mosquitoes have been buzzing around town since March. These fellas bite feet and ankles in broad daylight, which is more initiative than the last committee I sat on. Locals call them ankle biters, a nickname with more personality than most agency reports. Residents are asked to report daytime bites to the district, and I can already see the form: one page, a checkbox for ankle, and a phone line that says your call is important. Meanwhile my Bible study girls are swatting at their shins through the whole Wednesday lesson.