Hillsborough residents line up to take home mosquito fish

TAMPA (FOX 13) - In parts of Hillsborough County, residents are lining up for fish, but they aren't for eating or keeping in a fish tank.

These are mosquito fish.

"They're called mosquito fish because that's their favorite thing to eat," explained Donnie Hayes with Hillsborough County Mosquito Control.

The native Florida fish can be found in ponds and roadside ditches.

"It likes to feed on the top of the water, mosquito larvae, that's where they go to get their air,  so the two co-mingle in the same environment," said Hayes.

Hillsborough County Mosquito Control started using the fish in abandoned pools to eliminate the pesky and sometimes dangerous insects.

"What we realized is there's other environments of where we can use that," said Hayes.

The fish can be put in ponds, fountains or any standing water that you can't get rid of around your home. Mosquito Control sets up events around Hillsborough County where residents can get their fish for free. They are hopeful that this is one solution to eliminating the threat of the mosquito-borne Zika virus.

"The more we get out there, the better control we're going to get," said Hayes.

For information on mosquito fish events in Hillsborough County, visit http://www.hillsboroughcounty.org/en/search?q=fight+with+fish&n=0&o=&h=&t=events&r=10