Truemors
The foreclosure wave that has swept the nation has had all kinds of far reaching effects on the economy, the lives of citizens, financial sectors and of course the housing market. But one of the most unusual results of near record highs in foreclosures is now a huge surge in the mosquito population of California and Arizona.
While it may seem strange, experts say a newly discovered rise in the mosquito population can be directly linked to foreclosed home, and more specifically, to the abandoned pools in the backyards of foreclosed homes. In areas of the country like Southern California, backyard pools are very common due to the hot weather. In Los Angeles alone, experts estimate roughly 4,000 foreclosed homes currently on the market have pools. Now that the state is seeing the highest inventory of foreclosed homes in the nation, many of these pools have become breeding grounds for mosquito larvae. Mosquitoes rely on stagnant water to lay their eggs, and normally simple pool maintenance and use is enough to keep them at bay. But with no one taking care of the pool, the population has increased unchecked at an incredible rate due to the available nesting ground. The problem is not only more annoying bites for nearby residents, but mosquitoes are well known to carry West Nile Virus, so a big increase in their population quickly becomes a health concern.
So in an effort to combat the rising levels of mosquitoes, officials have turned to a natural predator, Gambusa Affinis, or, the Mosquito Fish. These fish prey directly on mosquito larvae, and the average fish can consume hundreds of the insects per day. By dropping them into the abandoned pools, officials are at least able to have some effect on how many larvae are hatching.
It really is fascinating to see how much change, damage and general effect that rising foreclosures have had on the United States up until this point, even for our insect population!
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