Guppy Love

Worried about prowlers? Get a dog. Mice an issue? Cats work. But for mosquitoes, nothing beats fish.

If the pesky airborne bloodsuckers have left a trail of welts on your body, officials at the Vector Control District in Santa Fe Springs recommend the gambusia affines, or mosquito fish.

This is not your everyday guppy. Think bug spray with fins.

To combat the teeming squadrons of whining--and potentially dangerous--mosquitoes hatching in yards across the county, vector control officials are giving away the fish to residents.

Mosquito fish are hardy little creatures that grow about two inches long. Their main feature is they eat mosquito larvae like popcorn.

Mosquito fish are compatible with goldfish, koi and carp--ideal for protecting ornamental ponds.

“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.

Mosquitoes usually breed in standing water, including pet dishes, forgotten buckets and horse troughs. Some of those same spots are, coincidentally, favorite habitats of the mosquito fish.

The fish require little maintenance and tolerate a wide range of temperatures and water quality.

They also are prolific breeders, hatching broods of 30 to 100.

To get mosquito fish, call abatement district officials at (562) 944-9656.