Aquatic allies in the fight against mosquitoes

From the Tracy Press
July 3, 2018

Free mosquitofish were recently distributed to Tracy residents to cut down on mosquitoes breeding in backyard ponds, pools and other manmade water features.

Technicians from the San Joaquin County Mosquito & Vector Control District handed out the fish Friday from a tank on a pickup truck at the Tracy Community Center.

They had spent the week traveling to different communities around the county and handing out the guppylike fish, which can be placed in ornamental ponds, neglected swimming pools, water troughs and other areas of standing water.

The fish eat the larvae and pupae of mosquitoes to help keep the adult mosquito population down.

They were given out in plastic containers, with the number of fish depending on the size of the pond or pool. A small pond might require only a dozen mosquitofish, while a large neglected pool might need 30 or more.

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