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Are You Raising Mosquitoes in Your Backyard?
WHERE
TO LOOK AND WHAT TO DO ORNAMENTAL
PONDS It
is important to keep your pond clean and stocked with mosquito-eating fish.
By removing leaves and keeping the aquatic plants thinned, the fish are
able to eat the mosquito larvae that would normally hide in the cover.
Chlorine will kill your fish so it is important to move your fish to
another container if you use bleach or other cleaning products.
If you no longer want the pond, break holes in the bottom and fill with
sand or dirt. Not only will this
remove any water for mosquitoes to breed in, but you could also have an
attractive planter. PLASTIC
WADING POOLS Change
the water every week. Store indoors
or upside down when not in use. ANIMAL
WATER TROUGHS Stock
large troughs with mosquito-eating fish and clean small troughs every week.
Don’t forget that an unused dog bowl could be a perfect spot for
mosquitoes to breed. CONTAINERS
OF ALL SORTS Remove and dispose of all unused containers that will collect rainwater or irrigation from your sprinklers. Home gardeners rooting plant cuttings in containers should change the water every week. Other mosquito sources include: tin cans, jars, barrels, old tires, buckets, leaks under your house, plugged rain gutters, and tubs. This list is not exclusive and any type of container that has water in it could potentially breed mosquitoes.
FISH
PREVENT MOSQUITOES Gambusia
affinis,
called mosquito fish, are indispensable to our mosquito control program.
They eat mosquito larvae as fast as they hatch from eggs.
Mosquito fish are furnished free of charge for stocking ornamental ponds,
unused or out-of-order swimming pools, and animal watering troughs.
They require no feeding and care is limited to protecting them from
garden sprays, chlorine, and other chemicals used to clean the pond.
The district also stocks thousands of these fish each year in artificial
lakes, reservoirs, wastewater disposal lagoons, natural creeks, and drainage
channels to eliminate the need for frequent spraying with mosquito control
products. If you would like some
mosquito fish and you live within the district
fill out a service request and we will contact
you. The information in this web page is also available in a brochure.
For More Information:
(530) 365-3768
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