New Jersey Using Fish To Control Mosquito Larvae Population
CEDAR KNOLLS, NJ (WCBS 880) - New Jersey is using an interesting method for dealing with mosquitos.
WCBS 880's Levon Putney Gets The Fishy Details
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A Morris County Mosquito Commission inspector found an abandoned pool on the grounds of the old Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital in Parsippany.
They decided to stock it with mosquito larvae eating fish.
"If the conditions are right, they can provide quality mosquito control throughout the year," says commission biologist Mark Vlasni.
He says they're taking advantage of a 20-year-old state DEP program which doles out 150,000 fish a year to eat up larvae.
They use five types of skeeter eaters.
He says they do this "in order to reduce our alliance on pesticides and also manpower."
Vlasni says, in this case, fish are our friends.
He does admit that it is hard to say whether the fish are as effective as pesticide.
But, Bob Kent, administrator of the DEP's Office of Mosquito Control Coordination, says fish are better for the environment and, "unlike pesticides that have a limited life, the fish will stay on the job consuming mosquito larvae all summer long."
