Mosquitofish, the mosquito’s worst nightmare

Gig Conaughton

County of San Diego

Communications Office

They just might be a mosquito’s worst nightmare, which means they could also be a dream come true for lots of San Diego County residents. Gambusia affinis. They’re more commonly known as mosquitofish.

They’re tiny. They’re ravenous. They can gobble up mosquito larvae as fast as mosquitoes can lay their eggs in water. In the process, they can help keep mosquito populations down and reduce the chance they can transmit diseases like West Nile virus.

San Diego County’s Department of Environmental Health has raised and given out thousands of...