MOSQUITO SEASON COMES EARLY : PEST, HEALTH AGENCIES DO BATTLE WITH BUGS.

Byline: Teresa Jimenez Daily News Staff Writer

Residents itching for a solution to pesky mosquitoes may find some answers with area pest-control agencies and health officials, who want to stop the insects from spreading disease.

Aiming to take the bites out of spring, the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services is offering residents tips on keeping the pests away.

Mosquito season came earlier than usual this year because of early rain and even earlier sunny weather, so the battle against the pests already has begun, officials said.

``There's nothing worse than having a mosquito trapped in your house at night and hearing it buzz by your ear,'' said Frank Hall, chief of the vector management program for Los Angeles County. ``Next thing you know, it lands on your nose or somewhere on your face.''

The insects can breed in the most unusual places, Hall said, noting that county pest-control workers often find mosquito larvae at golf courses, in planters left at cemeteries and at parks that have been heavily watered.

While the preventive measures help to get rid of the pests, which often leave red, itchy welts that can leave people scratching for days, they also can stop the spread of disease, Hall said.

Mosquitoes can bite wild birds, which can carry the virus for a disease called St. Louis encephalitis, Hall said. The insects then become carriers, and can transfer the disease to dogs, cats or people with their next bite, he said.

There have been no reported cases of St. Louis encephalitis in Los Angeles County since 1992. But a rash of cases in 1984, in which 16 people contracted the disease and one died, has made officials more cautious, Hall said. It causes flulike symptoms and can lead to a coma or death, he said.

For residents who have ponds in their yards or a creek with standing water nearby, county health departments offer mosquitofish, which make their meals out of mosquito larvae.

The Antelope Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District office is at [phone].