Mosquito Fish - Gambusia Affinis

 

 

Importance of Mosquito Fish

1. Mosquito fish will eat all life stages of the insect and have a voracious appetite. Even the very small Mosquito fish will attack larvae and pupal stages of mosquitoes.
2. Gambusia Mosquito fish will spawn two to three times during a Colorado summer. They become part of the natural food chain so will not likely over populate or compete with other fish species. They seek out the shallow areas of ponds where mosquitoes most often breed.
3. The strain of Mosquito fish used by Hagen Western Fisheries® has been bred for Colorado cold water survival. As ice melts on ponds and lakes the pre-stocked Mosquito fish are ready to go to work. Water looses its heat very slowly and Gambusia will feed actively until temperatures drop below 50 degrees.
4. The oxygen requirement for Gambusia is low so that they are ideal for use in back yard ponds, watering troughs or other areas with infrequent water replacement. They are safe in all environments.
5. At Hagen Western Fiseries® we are experts in fisheries management. If loss does occur for any reason or mosquito infestations become acute, Hagen Western Fisheries® maintains a year round stock for rapid replacement. We can also analyze your situation and recommend proven solutions.

For availability, costs and additional information, please contact:

Harold K. Hagen Ph.D.,
Hagan Western Fisheries®, Inc.
P.O. Box 787
Fort Collins, CO. 80522
(970) 568-3286

or

Hal Hagen
Aquatic Alternatives
P.O. Box 160
Nathrop, CO. 81236
(719) 395-2696
Info@AquaticAlt.com

Biological mosquito Control

With chemical mosquito control winding down in Colorado it will now be safe to start more effective biological methods using Mosquito fish - Gambusia Affinis

1. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "ground and aerial spraying is usally the least effective mosquito control technique."
2. Ground spraying is problematic as urban landscapes make it difficult for thorough application of the pesticide.
3. Synthetic insecticides such as Anvil (sumithrin), the product used in Northern Colorado, are frequently fortified with the more toxic organophosphates labeled as "inert" ingredients. This is done since Pyrethrins are swiftly detoxified by enzymes in the insect resulting in a "knockdown" rather than a lethal dose.
4. For these and other reasons we can expect hundreds of thousands of surviving adult mosquitoes and millions of eggs, larvae and pupae to be ready to complete the life cycle this fall and early spring 2004.

Facts about using chemical mosquito control

West Nile disease has prompted the public to accept the expensive and too often ineffective use of unsafe chemicals to control vector mosquitoes. The real dangers to human and environmental health are factors that must be considered.

1. Risk assessments for mosquito control chemicals are normally conducted in laboratories with laboratory animals rather than in the environment. We are fed placebos of "safety" when the real truth is much different.
2. Chemicals used for adult mosquito control often are highly toxic organophosphates or synthetically produced pyrethroids that frequently are bolstered by "inert" unnamed ingredients that are highly toxic.
3. Chemicals used for mosquito larvae are designed to prevent molting or change to the pupal stage. They are very damaging to the aquatic food chains including fish and even to birds. Methoprene in the larvicides is associated with massive destruction of lobsters and other crustaceans and is linked to birth defects in frogs and other animals. Other larvicides derived from soil bacteria, will destroy the gut of mosquito larvae but kill many other aquatic insects as well.
4. Many chemicals used in mosquito control will break down after exposure to sunlight but the resulting compounds can result in birth defects in humans and animals, as well as, affecting immune systems and contributing to other organic disease including cancer.
5. In truth we know far to little about the acute and cumulative effects of thesechemicals. We are certain that the short term beneficial effects are far outweighed by longterm harmful effects.

To learn more about Gambusia fish you can visit these links:

Northeast Mosquito Control Association

Environmental and Development Services

Information about the West Nile Virus

Back to Top