Hunting Mosquitoes In Jersey

Pete Rendine is trying to take a bite out of a problem that is plaguing New Jersey.

A mosquito control agent, he delivers fish by the thousands to the front lines, particularly to stagnant waters, such as garden ponds or local swamps, which harbor a potential explosion of summer's most obnoxious pest: the mosquito.

The weapons of choice are Gambusia Affinis, fish that feed on mosquito larvae. With New Jersey's rainfall more than 10 inches above normal, residents have flooded Rendine's office with phone calls asking for relief from the new swarms of bugs.

"It's not an emergency situation, or anything like that, but the more rain, the more mosquitos," says Rendine.

The mosquito-eating fish is only one weapon in the battle. You'd be surprised at how much power a little mosquito has, and how much planning and firepower are needed to keep that insect at bay.

They only bite you one at a time, but actually New Jersey's mosquitoes come in more than 60 varieties. It's Jeff Donnelly's job to tell them apart, which is important since about a dozen are disease carriers.

"Probably our biggest is Saraphus," says Donnelly. "We do have the Asian Tiger Mosquito in New Jersey now."

So bug classification is critical, as is surveying terrain for blocked waterways, havens ripe for a population explosion.

"Our machinery would get stuck and a helicopter situation, you're too close to homes," says Rendine. "So the ideal situation is the gamboozie fish for control."

In this war, though, there's one foe Pete Rendine and his army can't control: the rain which nurtures the next generation of mosquitoes.