Collier County Hands Out Free Fish To Combat Mosquitoes
Free fish that eat up to 100 mosquito larvae each day are are being offered across Collier County. The summer giveaway runs through August. “They are very aggressive biters, so they cause…
HEMET, CA – APRIL 26: Mosquitofish are seen in a container at offices of the Riverside County Department of Environmental Health which gives them away for free to anyone who wants to use them to control mosquitoes on their property on April 26, 2007 in Hemet, California. California health officials announced this week that West Nile Virus season is starting earlier than usual because of an unusually warm March. Mosquitoes that carry the virus have begun breeding earlier than usual and the West Nile Virus has been detected in mosquito pools, birds, or horses in eight California counties. Although the virus has not been detected in humans so far this year, 24 people have died and 1,200 sickened by the virus over the past two years in California. West Nile can be transmitted from infected birds, squirrels, and other animals to humans and animals such as horses through several varieties of female mosquitoes. The disease first appeared in the United States in 1999 in New York and killed hundreds of people during its westward expansion before gaining a firm foothold in California in 2004. In reaction to the early start of West Nile Virus season, the California State Legislature this week declared April 23-29 “West Nile Virus and Mosquito and Vector Control Awareness Week”. The effected counties include Imperial, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, Santa Clara, San Diego, Sonoma and Stanislaus. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)
Free fish that eat up to 100 mosquito larvae each day are are being offered across Collier County. The summer giveaway runs through August.
"They are very aggressive biters, so they cause quite the nuisance and can make being outdoors very uncomfortable," said Jonathon Little of Collier County Mosquito Control to Gulf Coast News.
These tiny fish target pools of still water where pests multiply. Since 2019, officials have used this natural method to cut down buzzing swarms in yards and ditches.
"You can use them in standing water, flooded yards, ditches, swales. They are a native fish to Florida, so we like to say they're from here for here," said Rachel Bales, a biologist with the Collier Mosquito Control District, to Gulf Coast News.
To help reduce mosquito breeding, residents are encouraged to eliminate standing water on their properties. It takes less than a week for eggs to turn into biting adults. Weekly checks of outdoor items can stop new swarms before they start.
For more details about the Mosquitofish program, upcoming dates, or to submit a request, please visit the Collier County Mosquito Control website.
