HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY -- Hillsborough County is now using fish to get rid of those pesky mosquitoes--and they're giving them away for free on Saturday.
- Free mosquito fish give-away in Hillsborough
- Fish to help control mosquito population
- Fish eat mosquito hatchlings
Residents can pick up their mosquito fish from 9 a.m. until 11 a.m. at Northdale Park in Tampa and from noon until 2 p.m. at Trout Creek Wilderness Park in Thononosassa.
Mosquito fish can be put anywhere there is standing water like bird baths or fountains.
They eat hatchlings before they turn into adult mosquitoes. That helps control insects that carry West Nile Virus and Zika.
The fish require limited care. You don't have to feed them and they don't lay eggs, so it's a super easy way to help control the mosquito population.
"The mosquito fish is not the cure all for preventing Zika within Hillsborough County but it is something that allows us to get the public education and it can reduce some individual sources," Donnie Hayes, Mosquito Control Director, said.
To pick up the fish, Hillsborough County residents need to bring a photo ID with them.