McGrath Elementary fifth graders hopped on the “Bug Bus” Tuesday to learn all about mosquitoes.

“We’re here to help children understand how they can help us get rid of mosquitoes to help us get rid of a lot of the diseases they carry like West Nile Virus in their communities,” said Andrew Pak, the Education Program Coordinator for the Greater Los Angeles County Vector Control District.

On board the 35-foot VECMobile students learned about mosquito anatomy, life cycles, diseases mosquitoes carry and control methods. Groups of four to five students rotated among four stations where they completed interactive computer lessons and hands-on investigative scientific experiments.

The program is designed to cooperate with the fifth grade natural science curriculum.

Prior to the Bug Bus arriving at McGrath, students studied definitions pertaining to vectors, the scientific method, and the life cycle of the mosquito.

“We’ve learned about vectors and how they can be dangerous to other living things because they carry diseases like malaria and yellow fever,” said fifth grader Leena Soto.

“We learned that the female mosquito lays its eggs on standing water only, then comes the larva, after that the pupa and finally the adult mosquito,” she said.

The VEC Mobile is sponsored by the Greater Los Angeles County Vector Control District and the Vector Education Foundation. Pak and his team travel to elementary schools throughout the County four days a week to bring hands-on scientific project-based activities to fourth and fifth grade students. The VECMobile is a free community health awareness program.

For more information about the VECMobile visit bugbus.org or gadcvcd.org.