Help Offered in Fighting Mosquitoes

Officials of the Greater Los Angeles County Vector Control District, warning that mosquitoes are hatching in thousands of backyards around the Valley, are offering free bug-eating fish in an attempt to stem the tide of the pesky and sometimes dangerous insects.

“Our traps are showing an increase in warm-weather mosquitoes, the Culex species that can carry St. Louis encephalitis,” said Jack Hazelrigg, vector control district manager.

Encephalitis can cause potentially fatal inflammation of the spinal cord and brain.

“It’s too early in the season for the virus to show up yet. But it’s time for residents to get rid of these mosquitoes before they multiply in the summer when they could be carrying the SLE virus,” Hazelrigg said.

Sources of permanent standing water such as ornamental pools are ideal breeding areas for mosquitoes, according to officials with the control district, whose primary responsibility is controlling the pests in Los Angeles County.

To help get the mosquitoes where they breed, the vector control district is offering ornamental-pool owners free gambusia affines, small, hearty fish that have been used to fight mosquitoes around the globe for 100 years.

“They are the best-known fish for making an impact on the mosquito population because they feed on the surface where [the mosquitoes] lay their eggs,” said Saeed Tabatabaeepour, an assistant ecologist with the control district.

Any container holding standing water is a potential mosquito breeding area, said Tabatabaeepour, who suggested emptying forgotten buckets, flower pots and pet dishes that may still contain rainwater.

Residents who want to pick up some of the mosquito-eating fish should bring a bucket or other container between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday to the vector control district office, 12741 Saticoy St., North Hollywood.

For more information, call the district at (818) 764-2010.