NFC: Sad but true

["Wally Billingham" <wallybillingham at wallybillingham_com>]

Hello all,
I was looking at an aquarium plant web site today. This site also carries limited live stock mainly for algae control. They are now also selling gambusia. The take it to the extreme and are encouraging people to stock them in every body of water near their home. Lakes, creeks, ponds everywhere. Here is the text from the site.

Wally

Mosquito fish are small guppy-like fish used to control mosquito populations by devouring mosquito larvae. According to U.S. Navy research, a pair of half-grown Gambusia can consume 5000 mosquito larvae in 11 weeks. An adult female can devour several hundred larvae per day. These voracious predators have upturned mouths specially designed for scooping up larvae prey, and represent one of the most environmentally friendly forms of mosquito control.

Gambusia are highly prolific: each female will produce three to four broods of 40 to 100 young each year. Gambusia typically live two to three years, so produce a multitude of offspring during their lifespan. Unlike most other fish, gambusia bear live young; these offspring begin consuming larvae shortly after birth.

Gambusia are ideally suited to stock ponds, ornamental ponds, golf courses, canals, creeks and lakes. They prefer to inhabit the shallow vegetated areas near the shore which are also the preferred habitat of mosquito larvae. They require virtually no maintenance, as they are self-feeding and self-sustaining. Their adaptability and effectiveness in mosquito control have made mosquito fish one of the most distributed freshwater fish in the world.

We are urging customers to get any bodies of water which will support mosquito production stocked as soon as possible. To over-winter the Mosquito Fish, maximum depth should be at least 2-4 ft. depending on the climate. If these areas are stocked by this fall, there will be sufficient production to get fish numbers up before next spring's mosquito season. As soon as possible next spring, fish should then be spread to all shallow bodies which will not support over-wintering. Southern races of mosquito fish will NOT over-winter in northern climes and will NOT actively feed in cold weather even though mosquitoes continue to hatch.

Remember-even if there are already other fish in the water, other species will not go into the reeds and shallow water to get the mosquitos the way Mosquito Fish will.

If you live in one of the states adjacent to the West Nile Virus outbreak areas, now is the time to get Mosquito Fish into every body of water near your home. Golf courses-- all ponds and water hazards should be stocked as soon as possible so that these cold tolerant fish are present to control mosquitoes late into the fall and early in the spring. Again, southern races of mosquito fish will not over winter in northern climates and wil not feed actively as early as mosquitoes start hatching.



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