The Westchester County Department of Health is providing residents with free minnows that can be added to their ponds and water features as a strategy to fight mosquito infestation and breeding.
The minnows will be available at the Westchester County Airport from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on April 28 and April 29. The minnows will be distributed in watertight plastic bags and residents are asked to bring a bucket or pail for transporting them home.
The minnows eat mosquito larvae, thus preventing them from maturing into biters. However, they do not need to be added in ponds that already have fish because the fish also eat mosquito larvae.
“These hungry minnows can help residents enjoy the outdoors even more as they keep mosquitos from breeding and biting you in your own backyard,” said Health Commissioner Dr. Sherlita Amler, who called on residents without ponds to clear any puddles or standing water on their property. “Mosquitoes can lay their eggs in a puddle, a flowerpot saucer or an old tire, so it”™s extremely helpful to clear your yard and the pavement around your home of buckets, pails and toys that collect standing water and pour out any water that remains after it rains.”
Photo courtesy CT.gov
