Foreclosures and West Nile Virus.

[Godiva]

The first horse has died of West Nile in San Diego County.

The San Diego Zoo just lost a rare pink pidgeon in a protected breeding area of the park to West Nile.

The County provides mosquito fish for free to residents to eat the larvae in standing water. With the rise in Foreclosures, more and more back yard pools are becoming breeding grounds for mosquitoes.

However there is a shortage of fish. What fish the county has now are being rationed because they didn't get the order they placed with the breeder.

The breeder says that fish numbers are down due to warm weather, possibly a consequence of climate change.

So we have: Climate change, the economy, and public health.

[tripp]

Drain the bloody pools and the problems solved. geez...

[Godiva]

Well, they're foreclosures. I imagine there's a legal problem there. I'm sure if it was that easy, someone would have thought of it before. In the meantime, this isn't the first I've heard of pools from foreclosed homes harboring mosquitoes.

It was the first I heard of a shortage of free mosquitoe fish from the county and the low breeding from the warm weather.

[PriuStorm]

Sacramento area experienced something similar last year, with high foreclosures and concerns about standing water in the empty properties. Neighborhoods would 'take charge' and visit each of the empty homes to make sure there was no standing water. I don't remember there being legal issues, but it's not hard to imagine that someone sue-happy would cause a big stink.

[Froley1]

tough to keep draining all those pools after any rainfall. I fear that this may be the begining with rodents etc... the mouse virus we have here in NM -- i forget what it's called---any rate comes from their nesting.....James Kunstler advises we should access these houses as a source of reclaimed building materials...James Howard Kunstler that these properties will serve a purpose in that manner since after a time period they will be unusable as habitation.
Froley

[CarolinaJim]

I have thousands of mosquito fish in my dragon fly pond.

I started my school of mosquito eaters with about twenty my neighbor gave me earlier this year. They multiply rapidly. Between the dragon fly swarm and mosquito fish school I have a yard which is virtually mosquito free even though my lot is next to wetlands.

Below are pictures of a very simple trap a person can make in about 3 minutes with a 2 liter plastic bottle, knife, twist ties and string. Yesterday, I used the trap pictured to catch about 20 mosquito fish in about 5 minutes for my Dad. Use bread for bait. Make sure to submerge the opening in the water so the fish can get to the bait.

Directions for building the trap may be viewed at Bicycle_Canoe_Trailer down on the left side of the page.

The mosquito fish pictured were other fish caught with the trap and then tranported to virginia for a coworker's pond.

[PriuStorm]

Is there any concern about non-native species messing with the eco system where you're transferring to?

[CarolinaJim]

Yes, these are non-natives but have been in the US for quite a while. Here is the location where I transported the fish: County of York - EDS - Mosquito Control Fish Hatchery.

You bring up a good point which isn't a problem here in NC.

Mosquitofish this website provides this quote from California code...interesting since the little fish have been in state almost 100 years?

It is against California Department of Fish and Game regulations for private citizens to plant mosquitofish in waters of the State without a permit. (Title 14 CCR, Fish and Game Code, Section 1.63, Section 6400, and Section 238.5).

Never the less is an abandoned pool "waters of the state"?

I have read some info on the web about concerns with the non-natives impact on native amphibian populations but the overwhelming amount of info I have read indicates that these fish are an accepted means of mosquito control.

Here is a PDF Gambusia Control Homepage which touts the use of natives for mosquito control. The trap I described will catch native minnows also.

[CarolinaJim]

Oops...deleted double entry.

[PriuStorm]

Thanks for the info and links.