In our modern world the solution to many pesky problems have been solved: Like how to keep the fizz in soda and the stretch in our underwear’s waistband.

One problem that we have not completely solved, however, is how to get rid of bloodsucking mosquitoes.

In nature, a balance between forces in the environment is achieved.

We have tried to do this with the mosquito by a combination of methods. We put up physical barriers like window screens, which work fine if you don’t have children and dogs going in and out of the house all day.

There is an old Chinese saying that goes, “Don’t use a cannon to kill a mosquito”. But, that’s what we’ve been doing ever since we learned that better living through chemistry might be a possibility.

Chemical warfare using insecticides is ongoing, and though it results in gains in the short term, its long-term negative affect on the environment and people may result in more harm that good.

Before mosquitoes hatch their larvae float just under the surface of the water and breath through a tube. Much of the spraying that is done in our area uses an insecticide mixed with a dispersant like kerosene. The pesticide not only kills the adults but the dispersant suffocates the larvae.

A way to not have as many mosquitoes without using chemicals is to avoid creating artificial breeding areas like leaving a full wading pool in the yard, water in old tires and stopped up rain gutters. Taking care of these problems will help but that’s not all that can be done.

The mosquito fish (Gambusia affinis) is a small guppy-like fish from the family Poeciliidae and is native to North America. They live in rivers, ponds, lakes and springs from New Jersey down the Atlantic coast and up the Mississippi River to Illinois and west into Texas.

These fish have been introduced to all but six states in the U.S. and throughout the world with the thought that they would control mosquitoes better than native, larvae eating fish.

Though Gambusia most certainly eats mosquito larvae they appear to have more negative than positive effects nearly everywhere they have been introduced.

Mosquito fish have damaged aquatic ecosystems because they are voracious predators and have reduced or eliminated other species of fish, including largemouth bass and some insect species.

Mosquito fish are difficult to eliminate when they get a foothold. The best way to reduce their effects is to control their spread.

One of the main ways these fish are spread is through their continued and intentional release by government agencies responsible for mosquito control.

In the U.S. the first documented introduction of mosquito fish took place in the early 1900s.

In 1905 about 150 mosquito fish were released in Hawaii from Texas to see if they could help with the problem. Since then they have been widely stock as a perceived alternative to insecticides.

In some places, mosquito fish have displaced native fish species, which were thought to be more effective in controlling mosquitoes.

They also are known to eat the larvae of insects, which prey on mosquitoes.

They attack and damage the fins and occasionally kill other species of fish. Mosquito fish also prey on the eggs, larvae and juveniles of other fish.

The introduction of mosquito fish can also cause algae blooms when the fish impacts other species, which live on plankton. It can also increase the number of mosquitoes if the fish eat insects, which prey on mosquito larvae.

Think Global – Act Local!

Dr. “Skip” Lazauski can be seen on the television show “Eco-Bites”, which airs on Mediacom’s channel 14 and Smartel’s channel 4. To reach Dr. Lazauski for questions and comments, send an email to IchiOrca@yahoo.com. For more information, see his Web site, drskiponline.com.