What’s the Problem with Mosquito Fish?

A lot of folks look for natural solutions to fight pests, including natural mosquito control.

Over the years, a popular idea has been to stock ponds, water troughs, and backyard water features with mosquitofish. These tiny, very hardy fish feed on mosquito larvae. That’s not a bad thing! What could be the problem with that? At a glance, this might seem like a great chemical-free answer to frustrating mosquito problems. While in controlled environments, they can eat mosquito larvae, mosquitofish pose potential big risks that could outweigh their benefits.

Are Mosquitofish the Miracle Cure?

At Mosquito Squad, we believe in protecting people and the Las Cruces environment by all possible means. That’s why we must decry mosquitofish as the miracle cure for natural mosquito control in Doña Ana County.

Mosquitofish gained popularity due to a few key benefits. In addition to eating mosquito larvae, they tolerate extreme temperatures and other negative environmental factors that other fish cannot. They also reproduce quickly, which is ideal for small bodies of water, like private ponds and troughs. It’s not hard to understand why local vector control programs might encourage their use. However, the reality is a little more complicated.

Somewhat Unspoken Problems with Mosquitofish

It’s more than worth mentioning that mosquitofish are not native to New Mexico and once introduced they can quickly overtake local ecosystems. They are known to push out native fish and other aquatic life and are considered one of the world’s most invasive species.

Mosquitofish feed not only on mosquito larvae, but also the eggs and young of native amphibians, fish, and insects. They are aggressive, often leaving other fish with bodily damage – including damage to their eyes, fins, and gills. And even though they do eat mosquito larvae, multiple studies worldwide have shown that they are not as effective at the job as once believed.

Overall, mosquitofish can drastically reduce biodiversity and harm water quality Their cascading effects can make what was intended to be mosquito control turn into long-term environmental problems.

Natural Mosquito Predators That Are Better Than Mosquitofish

Frogs, dragonflies, bats, and other local fish species can do a better job with natural mosquito control than invasive mosquitofish. There are various ways to make your property more friendly to these predators.

While the intention of providing free mosquitofish to local residents is good, the result of releasing them into natural or unmanaged waterways can precipitate unintended damage to our fragile ecosystem.

Search for mosquito control and choose Mosquito Squad.

Mosquito Squad is a trusted mosquito control near me! We are eager to help defend your property against ants, mosquitoes, ticks, spiders, and a wide array of outdoor Las Cruces pests – and rodents too.

We stand behind our pest control treatments with a 100% customer satisfaction guarantee!

Get in touch with Mosquito Squad of Las Cruces by filling out our form online or calling us at (575) 221-1787 for a free quote.

Also read: Who do you call to get rid of ticks?