The city of Dallas is using a finned fighter to combat the West Nile virus.


The city is deploying Gambusia fish, also known as mosquitofish, into stagnant pools and creeks.



�Each one of them can eat about 100 to 200 larvae per day,� said Jose Ruiz with the Code Enforcement department.



On Friday, Ruiz deployed about 150 fish into a large stagnant creek in North Dallas. In a few days, Ruiz said the larvae count should be lower. Less larvae means less mosquitoes.



�They do eat them, so we do notice a difference,� Ruiz said.



Ruiz said the fish can survive in hot temperatures and breed three times a year. That means the fish can eat larvae for longer periods of time as more fish are born.



�They're in our ponds. They're also in other creeks. Sometimes we take them from one creek to

another creek so there's not telling we actually have, because they breed a lot,� Ruiz said.



Ruiz said the city is also dumping the fish in abandoned ponds and pools to fight the spread of West Nile.



Doctor David Rothbart, a North Dallas resident, lives near the stagnant creek where Ruiz was dumping Gambusia. He said the creek is a problem area, and he�ll take any help he can get fighting the mosquitoes.

Wikipedia say they eat mosquito larvae but are also an invasive species that has hurt game fish populations. How can a city put fish in streams? Is that ok? And then to move and transport also. I thought that was illegal.

These are used in streams and ponds all over Texas and the United States. The minnows are native to Texas and I have never heard of them hurting game fish populations.

http://tarrantcounty.com/ehealth/lib/ehe...Governments.pdf

There are several varietys including one considered extinct, the san marcous gambusha.


In the wild there are normally 10 females to every male and they do reproduce like crazy. Many people use them for ponds etc for mesquito treatment.

I think this is a great idea.

These fish are abundant in almost every lake and pond if you look closely along the water's edge. Don't see how they harm fish populations. I always called them minnows though they aren't true minnows. Crappie and bluegill love them! They are live bearers too.

This was a write up last year about how Dallas stopped using them when Will Becker retired and the mosquito population exploded. Good to see them using them again.

http://schoolarchiveproject.blogspot.com/2012/08/dallas-mosquito-outbreak-due-to-budget.html

Gambusia are also hermaphroditic (they possess both sex organs). If a population becomes all male or all female, some of the fish will change over to keep the population viable. This, combined with a low oxygen requirement, allows them to survive in water that don't always support other fishes.

A Cuban fellow told me gambusia means frustration. Instead of saying he got skunked during a fishing trip, he said all he caught was gambusia.

I see a WHOLE lot of negative write-up on these fish.

Gambusia affinis are a livebearing tooth carp related to guppies . They are some skeeter eating machines but they can be aggressive towards other small fish . They tend to stay in slow / shallow water , though , and they're a good forage for larger species.

I've seen 'em called "dambusia" on pond and aquarium forums ( as they'll eat fry ) but their benefits far outweigh their detriments (IMHO) . If you don't want a year-round population in your pool , throw in a couple dozen "feeder" guppies / mollies/whatever (AFTER Quarantine ! ) . They'll feed off the bugs and die out with the first frost.

Stocked them in my koi pond. Have four other goldfish. Don't harm or harass the goldfish normally but occasionally my cat will get hold of a goldfish and I'll have to save it. When I throw it back in the pond, its like the mosquito fish can see that the goldfish are injured and actually bite at the fins of them. Also had a hatch of tadpoles and the minnows actually ate the frogs. Left them alone while in tadpole form but once the tadpoles evolved to small frogs, the gambusia would tear them apart! You had to be careful to not scare the frogs to jump in the open water.
These things breed like crazy too. I stocked ten in my pond three years ago. Have not added any more. Now I have around 300.

They are in nearly every puddle or stream here in OK. Just a hardy, bland colored guppy for all intents and purposes. Mosquito larvae eating machines!

We have several ponds at our ranch near Abilene. Is there a source close by that I can purchase them? We are over run with mosquitos because we have two ponds close to the house.

You can order them from Live Aquaria.com ( pond section ) but now's not a good time ( too hot ) . Check your local feed stores for fish delivery dates . They carry gambusia here sometimes.

Gambusia's a good start but mosquitos can breed in wet conditions with little or no standing water . I've got decking around my pond /rain gutters on my house and have been eaten alive while cleaning up around those areas .

I add "mosquito dunks" ( bacteriological control ) to any area that stays damp .