Mosquito Control getting rid of the pests in creative way

As the rainy season continues, unwanted guests like to look for standing water. Now, Mosquito Control is using a natural, yet creative way to get rid of mosquitoes.

“They are annoying,” said Phil Jordan, who lives in Naples.

It’s that time of year when the relentless mosquitoes are buzzing around and making it hard to enjoy the outdoors.

“In the summer, it’s even hard to sit outside; mosquitos eat you alive,” Jordan said.

The rain is creating many inviting homes for the pests to reproduce.

“Rainy season is approaching, so we are going to be seeing a lot more standing water,” Jordan said.

Now, it’s time to deploy the mosquitofish.

“We got started with the project about three summers ago; these mosquitofish are little guppies, and they eat mosquito larva,” said Rachel Bales, a biologist with Collier County Mosquito Control District.

Research shows that these guppies can eat up to 100 mosquitoes per day.

“The guppies are live barriers, so they are a very cannibalistic species. They will eat their young or anything that’s smaller than them,” Bales said.

Lee County Mosquito Control also says that they utilize these fish. They recommend putting them in stagnant bodies of water.

“These fish are perfect for little ditches and swales or little ponds behind your yard or livestock troves or deep birdbaths,” Bales said.

They can prevent the bloodsuckers from ever hatching.

“Our goal is source reduction. These fish are great because they eat the larva,” Bales said. “And the larva is contained in bodies of water before they are flying around, and we have to use other treatment measures.”

They don’t use any chemicals or sprays, just the natural food chain at work.

“The demand for the fish was really what drove the program forward,” Bales said.

Now, you can help solve the mosquito problem right in your own backyard.

Collier County Mosquito Control District gave away 4,000 fish last year. To find out how to pick up some of these fish, click here.