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I write articles on science, medicine, nature, culture and other matters for the New York Times Magazine, The Atlantic, Slate, National Geographic, Scientific American Mind, and other publications, and am working on my fourth book, The Orchid and the Dandelion, which expands on my recent December 2009 Atlantic article. In August 2010, I'll be moving to London for a year to work on the book. I'll also serve as a senior fellow at City University London's MA science journalism program.

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Catfish v mosquitoes in foreclosed swimming pools

Posted on: October 16, 2009 7:09 AM, by David Dobbs

Don't see this every day. From the excellent Dovdox, Alan Dove's scijo blog:

Awhile back, I commented on the finding that abandoned swimming pools at foreclosed houses are producing a boom in mosquito-borne infections. Now, it seems, some Floridians have found a way to deal with at least one aspect of the abandoned pool problem:

Debra Mitchell, a code enforcement officer in Wellington, said the town is using catfish to clean pools in homes foreclosed on amid the devastated housing market. Officials were previously spending nearly $7,000 a month of taxpayer funds on chemicals to keep the stagnant pools sanitary.

"Some of us got clever and decided to try the fish-eating...er algae eating fish," Mitchell told NBC affiliate WPTV-5.

At a typical home, the town drops 15 algae-eating fish in the pool to keep the water clean. In addition to being a potential health hazard, Mitchell believes that cleaner more sanitary pools will make the houses more attractive to buyers, as will the lower fees for upkeep.

The catfish aren't likely to fix the mosquito problem, but if someone can encourage the town to add a few Gambusia to the mix, that would probably help.

via dovdox.com

Posted via web from David Dobbs's Somatic Marker