The first case of the West Nile virus has been diagnosed in a woman in Tustin. In an effort to fight the disease, Orange County is employing tiny sea creatures known as Gambusia affinis. The little fish in Garden Grove have been used by the tens of thousands to fight West Nile and Zika carrying mosquitoes in Orange County. OC Mosquito and Vector Control Biologist Amber Semrow says that Mosquitos love to lay their larvae on the water and mosquito-fish love to eat them.
"(the larvae) go through different stages in the water and mosquito-fish being a topminnow that swims in the water column, loves to eat mosquito larvae."
If you're looking to get some, the fish are free for people who need them.
Semrow added, "a lot of our fish go to green swimming pools, ponds and fountains in peoples backyards, golf course lakes."
The Gambusia affinis are also used in standing bodies of water that did not connect to the local habitat.
Photo credit: Corbin Carson