The Foreclosure Fish - Saving One Pool At A Time
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One of the great problems that is affecting foreclosures in Arizona, California, and Florida is what happens to the pools after the homeowners leave. These pools turn into a breeding ground for mosquitos that have the potential to carry disease and make neighborhoods unsafe for all who live there.
Enter the mosquito fish, or it’s technical term, Gambusia affinis. The fish is perfect to be dropped in these pools and then eat the larvae and juvenile mosquitos before they can develop into a nuisance. Town officials can put them into an abandoned pool and these wonderful creatures will do the rest saving the cities from spraying pesticides in these neighborhoods.
How cool is that.
The mosquito fish is well suited for a prolonged housing slump. Hardy creatures with big appetites, they can survive in oxygen-depleted swimming pools for many months, eating up to 500 larvae a day and giving birth to 60 fry a month. That can save environmental crews from having to repeatedly spray pesticides in the pools while the houses grind through the foreclosure process.
Some local agencies, increasingly worried about mosquito-borne diseases like the West Nile Virus, are taking to the air to find problem swimming pools. The Turlock Abatement District, near Modesto, Calif., last month hired a plane to fly over 55 square miles, snapping pictures of pools from about 5,000 feet. On the ground, mosquito-control crews cross-referenced properties that had greenish-brown pools with a street map and a database of local foreclosed homes.
A significant threat to public health can be resolved through the use of a biological intervention. Learn more about the fish that eats mosquito larvae to reduce the threat of the west nile virus. WSJ’s Michael Corkery reports. (May
In the Turlock district alone, about 475 stagnant pools were identified on the flyover. Many of those will be filled with mosquito fish. via WSJ.com.
It probably is a really good time to buy real estate - monthly payments are about equal to market rents ...
The part about the inventory is right on but in my area they are mostly low end and beat up ...
I worked for this man, he is a great con man and has done this in more than States then ...
You're right. If you come from Central Jersey (as the Boss and I do), you go to Florida at some ...
Maybe it was kryptonite...
ECONOMIC REPORT
'Prolonged' recession, higher joblessness seen likely
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By Mike ...
I couldn't agree more.
The newspaper has always "stuck" it to the real estate agent with rates that were much higher ...
By the way, homeowners trying to get short sale approval should be aware that lenders are comparing the initial loan ...
Ouch! Thankfully I haven't come across anything like that yet. We normally don't have situations like that in ...
well, the guy was here illegally.
serves him right. 
BY USING FIRST CLAIM INSURANCE ADJUSTERS YOU WILL HAVE THE ABILITY TO LOOK AT YOUR INSURANCE SETTLEMENT AND REALIZE FIRST ...
Pingback by Hitting the Links | Redfin Boston Sweet Digs on 13 May 2008:
[...] Are foreclosures increasing the spread of West Nile Virus? [The Real Estate Bloggers] [...]
Comment by James Harrow on 13 May 2008:
Nice article, I’m having the problem with dirty pools, I’ll try your solution and see if it works.
Comment by Sam Chapman on 14 May 2008:
I had never heard of this little critter before. I would love to know where to get my hands on some of these. Do you know what kind of store typically sells them?
Comment by Tom on 14 May 2008:
Sam
I found this link to buy Mosquito Fish online.
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=900+1499+1530&pcatid=1530