Virginia county breeds fish to kill mosquitoes

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From flyswatters to pesticides, there are many ways to fend off mosquitoes.

 

But fish breeding?

 

York County, Va., officials grow thousands of tiny fish called - you guessed it - mosquitofish that devour the bloodsucking insects before they can sprout wings.

 

It is the most unique - and environmentally friendly - method that mosquito control specialists in Virginia's Hampton Roads use to keep the ubiquitous summertime nuisance at bay.

 

"They act like piranhas when they find mosquito larvae," said James K. Rindfleisch, the county biologist in charge of the program.

 

There are dozens of mosquito species in Virginia; perhaps the most despised is the Asian tiger, which, according to the state Department of Health, is responsible for 90 percent of all daytime bites of humans.

 

The Asian tiger arrived in the United States during the 1980s in tires from Japan, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It is known to carry the West Nile virus and Eastern equine encephalitis.

 

"So far it's been a pretty rough year," said Tim DuBois, a city of Hampton, Va., biologist.

 

City workers prevent mosquito breeding with relatively simple actions, such as emptying staid water found in bird baths, dog dishes and other items that collect water outside of houses, DuBois said.

 

They also spray pesticides that, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, have specific toxicity doses that kill larvae and adult mosquitoes and little else.

 

Many of the pesticides do not pose "unreasonable risks to human health" or the environment, according to the EPA, though certain types of chemicals used to kill adult mosquitoes can kill bees.

 

City officials, who notify beekeepers of upcoming sprays, try to keep a distance from the hives, DuBois said. Some beekeepers link pesticides to colony collapse disorder, a phenomena in which honey bees mysteriously disappear, but there is no consensus among scientists to support the claim................

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