WAR ON MOSQUITOES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3864, 3 April 1928, Page 76

WAR ON MOSQUITOES.

LARV/E-EATING FISH IMPORTED AN AUCKLAND EXPERIMENT. AUCKLAND, Alarch 27. A war on the breeding grounds of mosquitoes will shortly be waged in Auckland through the enterprise of Dr T. JHughes (district .medical officer of health). Dr Hughes was a passenger from Sydney by the Marama to-day after attending a "medical conference organised by the League of Nations in- India, and the most interesting exhibit in' his cabin was a kerosene tin containing about 100 spec-iql mosquito larvse-eating fish, known as Gambusia affinis. Dr Hughes bad transferred about a dozen of these fish into art open tin so that, he could watch their; progress during the voyage across the Tasman. These fish- are about the size of a heavy gramophonq needle, and resemble a gramophone needle more than anything else in shape. They are very active in the water, and are stated to have ravenous appetites when the food is mosquito larvte. “I was enabled to secure these fish through the courtesy of Dr Purdv. medical officer of health in the metropolitan area of Sydney,” Dr Hughes said. “ They have been extensively used in America and in’ Italy for keeping down mosquitoes with very good results. The fish were originally found in Alexico, and were later imported into Italy. They were first tried in Australia last year, but it is yet too early to judge the results. I hope they will assist in preventing mosquitoes breeding in Auckland.” Dr Hughes has not yet gone into the question of where the fish will be placed, but they will probably be put into the • various stagnant pools around Auckland' which are known to be breeding grounds of mosquitoes.