Vector Control

Riverside County offers an abundance of recreational opportunities including hiking, bicycling, and camping in the cities, mountains and foothills, which result in large numbers of people risking possible exposure to diseases vectored by animals and insects in these areas. Some examples of these organisms and some of the pathogens they can carry are:

  •   Mosquitos - West Nile Virus, St. Louis Encephalitis, Western Equine Encephalitis
  •   Rodents - Hantavirus
  •   Rodent Fleas - Plague
  •   Western Black Legged Ticks - Lyme Disease

The mission of the Vector Control Program is to foster a healthy community by protecting the residents of Riverside County from animals and insects that transmit pathogens that cause illness. Vector Control personnel also respond to complaints throughout the unincorporated areas of the County and in cities with contracts to provide identification, consultation, and abatement services. With the population growth in Riverside County, there are increasing demands for the services this Program has to offer.

Click the video to see the story of one family that never thought West Nile virus would affect them

Vector Control Districts

Riverside County is under the jurisdiction of multiple agencies which provide vector control services and vector-borne disease surveillance.  The Riverside County Vector Control Program has been active in surveillance and vector control activities since 1978 and provides services to mid-western Riverside County and the Palo Verde Valley area outside the city limits of Blythe. Services are also provided to contract cities which include Banning, Beaumont, Hemet, Menifee, Moreno Valley, Murrieta, Perris, San Jacinto, Temecula and Wildomar. The service area is 4800 square miles with an approximate population of 990,000 people. The Northwest Mosquito and Vector Control District provides services to the northwest area of the County including Calimesa, Canyon Lake, Corona, Eastvale, Jurupa Valley, Lake Elsinore, Norco, and Riverside. The Coachella Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District provides services to the desert areas of the County, ranging from Palm Springs to Chiriaco Summit, including the Salton Sea.   

If you are unsure of which agency services your area, go to the West Nile Zip Code Locator and enter your zip code to find out

Services We Offer

The Riverside County Department of Environmental Health Vector Control program is a full-service program which offers a wide array of assistance. We can assist with:

  •   Mosquito surveillance and treatment
  •   Rodent investigations and treatment
  •   Hantavirus surveillance
  •   Lyme Disease surveillance
  •   Poultry Ranch inspections and complaint investigations
  •   Plague Surveillance and treatment
  •   Public presentations and education regarding vectors
  •   Providing mosquito fish for private ponds and fountains

If you would like more information on any of the aforementioned services, or have any other questions, please contact us at our Hemet office at (951) 766-9454

Poultry Ranches

The maintenance of sanitary conditions on poultry ranches is essential in the control of synanthropic flies, mosquitoes, and commensal rodents.  To insure sanitary conditions and compliance with state and local requirements, bimonthly inspections are conducted on 17 poultry ranches located in the western portion of Riverside County.  Our Environmental Health Technicians comply with very strict bio-security measures due to past quarantines such as Exotic New Castle Disease and the potential threat of Avian Influenza.


Bed Bugs

Our vector control program does not currently respond to complaints about bed bugs. For more information on bed bugs, click here.

Field level help.