Pinellas County mosquito control has a new incubator to breed as many mosquitofish as possible to give away to residents for the upcoming rainy season.

What You Need To Know

"It's all a new process," said Pinllas mosquito technician Chris Bolin. "This is the first year and we're kind of hoping it works great." 

Bolin, 54, said the idea for the incubator came from Hillsborough County and he got the gambusia fish, commonly known as mosquitofish, from Plant City.

He learned that using tap water in the tanks led to fish kills, so Bolin said he found another water source nearby.

"We pump all of our water out of the canal," he said. "It's all fresh water. There's already millions of fish in there anyway."

Mosquito larvae in a bowl.

The county is breeding the mosquitofish — which are known for their prodigious appetite and propensity for mosquito larvae — for their mosquito control program, which has been in place for more than 40 years.

Any resident living in any of the 24 municipalities in Pinellas County can request service that's free of charge.

"All you have to do is file for a free service request, just give us a call," said Pinellas environmental specialist Kailey Travis. "A technician will bring them to your home and find the proper placement for them." ​

Typically, the fish are placed in artificial containers or sites like an abandoned pool or an ornamental pond that can't be dumped, drained or covered. Travis, 31, said there's an easy step that residents can take to keep mosquitoes from forming near their homes in the first place.

"The biggest tip we have is to remember to dump standing water weekly," she said. "Check your yards to make sure that you are not breeding mosquitoes."​

Mosquitofish in a tank.

The Pinellas County mosquito control program has 11 technicians who are out in the field every day checking known breeding habitats. Bolin said they try to kill mosquitoes before they become biting adults.

"A lot of counties don't do that," he said. "They'll wait until they're adults and go fog everything." 

Bolin said it's a never-ending battle but knows they're doing important work to make Florida more livable and help protect residents against mosquito-borne diseases, such as the West Nile virus disease.

"You wouldn't be able to live in Florida if we didn't do what we did," he said. "Because when the Spanish came over, they hated Florida. They didn't like Florida at all because it was so bad with mosquitoes." 

Residents can request service online by visiting the organization's website, or by calling (727) 464-7503.

Mosquito control technician Chris B​olin checks a swampy area for the presence of mosquito larvae. (Spectrum Bay News 9/Josh Rojas)