Researchers from the University of Waterloo recently touted the benefits of a pesticide-free approach to limiting mosquito populations that also addresses the spread of West Nile virus.
The work, published in Plos One, outlined the process of introducing hungry minnows into bodies of water where mosquitoes breed, resulting in the minnows feeding on mosquito larvae, thereby dramatically decreasing the number of adult mosquitoes capable of carrying the disease.
Authors said the study took place over three years and introduced minnows into ten treatment reservoirs, referencing the effort consisted of monitoring an additional six non-treated reservoirs.
“The best strategies to limit mosquitoes start at the larval stage,” Waterloo researcher Brad Fedy said. “Unfortunately, in North America, control efforts are largely limited to larvicides, which require a repeated application and have potentially negative ecological impacts. Addressing the problem with minnows provides many benefits in that it is low-maintenance, cost-effective, better for the environment in many cases and our health.”
The research team said it discovered the method while researching sage grouse populations in the intermountain west, adding sage grouse populations suffer adverse impacts from mosquitoes transferring viruses like West Nile.
The work also involved ways to mitigate the negative impacts as a means of improving human health, officials said.
“There are many potential advantages to using indigenous fish species as an alternative for larval control including lowered environmental impact, decreased costs regarding time and financial inputs, and the potential for the establishment of self-sustaining fish populations,” Fedy said. “This isn’t a complete solution to the dangers of West Nile, but it should be considered as part of any plan to protect the health of vulnerable populations.”