Mosquito Fish

There has been much talk in the Midwest about the excessive rainfall this spring.  A local Fort Wayne news station did a special on introducing mosquito fish to help control mosquito populations.  However, the use of mosquito fish is something that should be done with caution. 

The Allen County Health Department is offering mosquito fish for free, but there are stipulations to the proper uses of these fish.  The use of mosquito fish should be limited to ornamental ponds, out of order swimming pools, and animal watering troughs.  Mosquito fish should never be introduced into natural waterways or ponds with overflow in the State of Indiana.  Mosquito fish could have detrimental effects on the species that naturally reside in the pond. 

The Facts:

• Large ponds have enough surface movement that mosquitoes will not breed in these areas.
• Mosquito fish are fast breeding and can take over a pond causing interruption in other species.
• If you have an increased population of mosquitoes, most often they are coming from a low lying wet area like a ditch not a pond.
• The Allen County Health Department will test areas with mass populations of mosquitoes to see if they are disease carrying.
• The Allen County Health Department will only spray if the tests they perform indicate your mosquitoes are vector (possibly carry disease).  If they are simply nuisance mosquitoes the health department will not spray. 

For more information on introducing mosquito fish into your pond contact Sanco Industries.