© 2026 WGCU News
News for all of Southwest Florida
Donate
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Collier County Mosquito Control to hand out more mosquitofish

WGCU | By WGCU Staff
Published June 24, 2024 at 2:23 PM EDT
Collier County residents can receive free "mosquitofish" this week
Collier Mosquito Control District
/
File
Collier County Mosquito Control has handed out more than 24,000 mosquito fish since beginning a distribution program in 2018.

Collier County Mosquito Control District will again be distributing free mosquitofish to residents to help control the pesky, stinging insect.

The distribution will be at noon on Saturday, June 29, at Alchemist Kava Bar & Lounge in East Naples.

Since launching the program in 2018, the district has distributed over 24,000 of the voracious, Southwest Florida native fish.

If you have a small, contained area of water and want to control mosquito larvae, Collier Mosquito Control will distribute more mosquitofish at noon on Saturday, June 29, at Alchemist Kava Bar & Lounge in East Naples.

These Gambusia holbrooki from local freshwater canals are members of the guppy family and reach about 2″ in length — each one eats about 100 larvae daily.

The small fish thrive in containers and small bodies of standing water as well as in different temperatures and quality. Mosquitofish are a ecofriendly way to control mosquitos and protect health and comfort.

Collier Mosquito Control doesn’t recommend releasing mosquitofish into large ponds as they likely already have fish that eat mosquito larvae or systems to prevent larvae from developing in the first place. Small contained areas of water are perfect targets to be kept clear of mosquito larvae.

To learn more on the mosquitofish program or to request fish at the District headquarters on North Road or visit here.

Looking for mosquitofish outside of Collier County?

  • Lee County Mosquito Control… support@lcmcd.org or 239-694-2174
  • Charlotte County Mosquito Control …941.764.4370

WGCU is your trusted source for news and information in Southwest Florida. We are a nonprofit public service, and your support is more critical than ever. Keep public media strong and donate now. Thank you.
Tags
Environment WGCU NewsMosquitos
WGCU Staff
See stories by WGCU Staff
Trusted by over 30,000 local subscribers

Local News, Right Sized for Your Morning

Quick briefs when you are busy, deeper explainers when it matters, delivered early morning and curated by WGCU editors.

  • Environment
  • Local politics
  • Health
  • And more

Free and local. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.

More from WGCU
  • A Suncoast Searchlight review of records found Sarasota County municipalities are unevenly enforcing water restriction rules.
    Environment
    Hundreds report water violations as enforcement varies across Sarasota County
    Emily Andersen/Suncoast Searchlight
    Suncoast Searchlight reviewed water-restriction complaints and enforcement records across Sarasota County during Southwest Florida’s most severe drought in nearly a decade and found municipalities are taking sharply different approaches to enforcement. While some jurisdictions actively patrol for violations and issue citations, others rely primarily on education and warnings and provide few clear ways for residents to report violations. We also examine how the drought has heightened public scrutiny over water use, with hundreds of residents filing complaints about sprinklers, lush lawns and suspected overwatering during the regional shortage.
  • Attorneys representing Sarasota's school district, tax collector and county commission exchanged emails about an ongoing dispute over costs to collect a property tax that funds education.
    Education
    ‘You are playing games’: School tax fight erupts after Sarasota vote
    Derek Gilliam/Suncoast Searchlight
    Local officials thought a dispute over who would pay to collect a voter-approved school tax had been settled when Sarasota County commissioners agreed in a surprise vote this week to resume covering the millions of dollars withheld by Tax Collector Mike Moran. Turns out, the fight isn’t over. Behind the scenes, county, school and tax officials spent the next few days sparring over whether Tuesday’s commission vote actually restored the decades-old practice — or whether another formal vote would be required before the money could be released to the school district, according to emails obtained by Suncoast Searchlight.
  • Science/Tech
    Short movement breaks can offset damage done by long sitting sessions
    Cary Barbor
    A study shows that short movement breaks can offset damage done by sitting and looking at screens all day.