Discover the best of the web!
Learn more about Digg by taking the tour.
A Tiny Fish Cleans the Pools of Foreclosed Homes
online.wsj.com — "They are real heroes," says Josefa Cabada, a technician at the Contra Costa Mosquito & Vector Control District, a government agency. "I've never seen a mosquito in a pool with mosquito fish."
skored- 822 diggs
- digg it
- DaDrake, on 05/11/2008, -0/+26For normal homeowners .... don't use this as an excuse not to chlorinate your pools =p
- doctechnical, on 05/11/2008, -0/+4I don't know, I could get in one of those big floating loungers and "sleep with the fishes".
- HayString, on 05/11/2008, -0/+59They don''t *clean* pools, they just keep mosquitoes from being able to use the pools to reproduce.
- charlietuna, on 05/11/2008, -1/+7Yes, I get it pal. Thank you for clarifying this issue.
- shyboy2008, on 05/11/2008, -26/+3If we elect Obama, he would kill all the fishes. Elect Hillary, no more foreclosure homes!
- ModernChem, on 05/11/2008, -4/+20wouldn't it be easier to drain the pool?
- SteveIsTheDude, on 05/11/2008, -3/+38No. An empty pool is a falling hazard. Plus the drain will be clogged in a few weeks anyway and you will begin to have standing rain water for the mosquito's.
- schrutefan, on 05/11/2008, -4/+14As opposed to having a drowning hazard.
- An800lbGorilla, on 05/11/2008, -0/+15It doesn't matter; his point about the pool getting refilled a bit every time it rains still flies.
- doctechnical, on 05/11/2008, -0/+1Probably not so much of a problem in Palm Desert.
- redneckblues, on 05/12/2008, -0/+1and still mosquitoes.
- rakous, on 05/11/2008, -4/+3I see what you did there.
- An800lbGorilla, on 05/11/2008, -0/+15It doesn't matter; his point about the pool getting refilled a bit every time it rains still flies.
- schrutefan, on 05/11/2008, -4/+14As opposed to having a drowning hazard.
- brutalsponge, on 05/11/2008, -9/+28You'd have to be pretty ***** stupid not to notice a giant hole in the ground. One might call it natural selection if you happen to fall in it.
- Harbinger67, on 05/11/2008, -0/+22This is America. Fall in one of those, and you're rich.
- Cattywampus, on 05/11/2008, -1/+11Some people are so deep in debt on their houses that they are just walking away from them, since they owe more than the house is worth. Someone deserting his or her home isn't going to be too concerned with draining the pool or otherwise leaving the property in good shape for the next person.
- AgentMull, on 05/11/2008, -0/+14I think its more of a half pipe hazard.
- DaDrake, on 05/11/2008, -0/+22Wow, I can't believe nobody owns a pool. In many places, you MUST have a pool filled most of the year or it will break. Ground water will often push up on an empty pool, which often results in cracks and sometimes results in the pool being pushed 2-3 feet out of the ground. Furthermore, larger pools (especially deeper ones) need water in them to help resist against side-pressure, which tens to make pools cave in.
- leif777, on 05/11/2008, -0/+2one word: rain
- lebaige, on 05/11/2008, -0/+4Pools should not be left empty. It generally destroys the lining, and they can sometimes collapse.
- heystoopid, on 05/11/2008, -2/+2But then again , would it not be equally easier to force the mortgage owners to properly maintain the properties in accordance with the local rules and regulations and property laws as they should expect from any normal property owner !
- SteveIsTheDude, on 05/11/2008, -0/+1That ain't working. Hence, you dump these fish in with a helicopter or we get west nile.
- ModernChem, on 05/12/2008, -2/+1Ok then, how about a pool cover!
- SteveIsTheDude, on 05/11/2008, -3/+38No. An empty pool is a falling hazard. Plus the drain will be clogged in a few weeks anyway and you will begin to have standing rain water for the mosquito's.
- Andyschism, on 05/11/2008, -3/+37Your doing it wrong! Your suppose to stick the fish in your ear!
- CaviMike, on 05/11/2008, -3/+6're
- Zoshchenko, on 05/11/2008, -2/+12Anything that cuts down on the mosquito population is good in my book, but I agree with Modernchem - why not just drain the pools?
- nitrojunky24, on 05/11/2008, -0/+6because the pools just fill with rain water again anyway and most don't have a drain thats what happened in new Orleans after Katrina they drained the pools but then it rained and refilled them so they had to use mosquito fish instead
- DaDrake, on 05/11/2008, -1/+4And draining a pool will cause property damage. The pool will pop up like a boat in water.
- kurtwinter, on 05/11/2008, -0/+5The water in the pool is what keeps the shape of the pool against the pressure of the ground it was put in. Empty pools get deformed, liners ruined and face many structural problems.
- ninjaskimo, on 05/11/2008, -1/+6What's next? Frogs to clear up fly populations?
- Andyschism, on 05/11/2008, -2/+23Skinner: Well, I was wrong. The lizards are a godsend.
Lisa: But isn't that a bit short-sighted? What happens when we're overrun by lizards?
Skinner: No problem. We simply unleash wave after wave of Chinese needle snakes. They'll wipe out the lizards.
Lisa: But aren't the snakes even worse?
Skinner: Yes, but we're prepared for that. We've lined up a fabulous type of gorilla that thrives on snake meat.
Lisa: But then we're stuck with gorillas!
Skinner: No, that's the beautiful part. When wintertime rolls around, the gorillas simply freeze to death. - MikiMac, on 05/11/2008, -0/+1Humans to clean up the rest of the world's population. ohh wait, we already have those :)
- Andyschism, on 05/11/2008, -2/+23Skinner: Well, I was wrong. The lizards are a godsend.
- SalaciousCrumb, on 05/11/2008, -3/+18Irony tastes like chicken -- the article = about foreclosed homes.
The sponsor:
House Payments Fall Again$180,000 Mortgage for $999/mo. See Rates - No Credit Check Needed!www.MortgageRatesExperts.com - Taggart, on 05/11/2008, -0/+12Depending on the pool, draining it could cause damage to the liner. Liners can be quite expensive.
- hoodrider, on 05/11/2008, -0/+7These fish are also good for rain barrels and the like.
- madogvelkor, on 05/11/2008, -0/+8Even if you drain the pool, the next time it rains you'll end up with a shallow stagnant pond on the bottom.
- jimmyjohnston, on 05/11/2008, -0/+5Read further and notice the part that mentions about how the man sticks his arm in a room of mosquitoes and lets them eat for a half hour on his arm. CRAZY
- matthewjhughes, on 05/11/2008, -5/+2Pools closed.
- Cattywampus, on 05/11/2008, -0/+9It's a good thing these fish are around. Considering how many mosquitoes can breed in an old tire with standing water in it, a bunch of abandoned swimming pools can be a huge source of mosquitoes to spread West Nile virus.
- Bamont, on 05/11/2008, -2/+6I clicked on this expecting an Onion article.
- itsthebrod, on 05/11/2008, -1/+2Uhhh why?
- iscurt, on 05/11/2008, -1/+2this is the house that jack cant afford ,this is the larva that lay in the pool that jack cant afford,these are the fish that eat the larva that lay in the pool that jack cant afford.here is the bank who gave the loan for the pool ,the house and the suv that jack cant afford.
lesson dont be a jack off. - RidgeWalker76, on 05/11/2008, -0/+12I was living in Huntington Beach, and one of my neighbors had a nasty pool, they were old people who fell behind on the maintenance. One day, a city helicopter flew over and dropped a couple of these fish in their pool, apparently it is city policy to help suppress mosquitos.
- doctechnical, on 05/11/2008, -0/+2Helicopter fish drops? Wow. Maybe the fish wouldn't talk.
"As God as my witness, I thought fish could fly!"
- doctechnical, on 05/11/2008, -0/+2Helicopter fish drops? Wow. Maybe the fish wouldn't talk.
- Elliuotatar, on 05/11/2008, -2/+3SacriFISHal.
- cyborg, on 05/11/2008, -1/+3ohhh hey, I have those buggers in my pond, they don't work all the time just so you know, when theres little puddles that mosquitoes reproduce in, your still *****, no matter how many of those you have in your pond/pool/lake/body of water
ohh and one thing........wouldnt the chlorine kill the fish?- doctechnical, on 05/11/2008, -0/+3If the pool were being chlorinated on a regular basis the mosquitoes wouldn't be a problem.
- KolorKode, on 05/11/2008, -0/+1Why have the used a wanted poster sketch for Ms Josefa Cabada. Have the banks foreclosed on all the cameras?
- MadOgre, on 05/11/2008, -0/+5Why don't the banks do something with the houses, since they own the homes... instead of having the state pay for keeping these places from ***** with everyone and lower property values. If the bank is going to foreclose and take a property from a family - then they need to keep it up. They need to be responsible when they take something from others who were trying to be responsible until the bank ***** up their mortgage payment by jacking adjustable rates.
- doctechnical, on 05/11/2008, -1/+3Banks do pay people to "service" foreclosed homes (like fill the pipes with anti-freeze so the pipes don't burst in the winter), maybe some places part of the service is dropping some of these fishies in the pool.
- MadOgre, on 05/12/2008, -0/+1Which is why the County is putting fish in the pools? Right. No, the banks are not doing a damn thing to make the home more attractive to new buyers... did you watch the video? Are you kidding? Because there is one down the street from me and no one can do anything about it and it's effecting all our property values. The people that got booted- - last year they were doing just fine until the mortgage payment just about doubled on them overnight. Good people. But because of the tightening of the financial business, they couldn't get refied. They are not living in their folk's garage.
Those ARM's are causing the problems... not who got lent to... but the shady closed doors ***** that lets banks just decide on a whim what you will pay.
- MadOgre, on 05/12/2008, -0/+1Which is why the County is putting fish in the pools? Right. No, the banks are not doing a damn thing to make the home more attractive to new buyers... did you watch the video? Are you kidding? Because there is one down the street from me and no one can do anything about it and it's effecting all our property values. The people that got booted- - last year they were doing just fine until the mortgage payment just about doubled on them overnight. Good people. But because of the tightening of the financial business, they couldn't get refied. They are not living in their folk's garage.
- doctechnical, on 05/11/2008, -1/+3Banks do pay people to "service" foreclosed homes (like fill the pipes with anti-freeze so the pipes don't burst in the winter), maybe some places part of the service is dropping some of these fishies in the pool.
- alphaeno, on 05/11/2008, -0/+5"Mr. Shal, 71 years old, recently protested the use of mosquito fish in his posh development to the neighborhood association. He fears the fish will die in the Florida heat and allow mosquitoes to breed out of control. "This is trying to fix a serious health issue on the cheap," he says, "Everyone is under budgetary pressure, I understand. But they are going to leave us bug infested.""
What a crabby old man. Would you rather have them spray chemicals all over your house for 10's of thousands of dollars?! At least give an alternative! - SkateItsGreat, on 05/11/2008, -3/+0Something to me does not make sense. Homeless people exist in America, and so do empty houses? Sure nobody should get a free ride for making unsound financial decisions, but this is just cruel and unusual.
- smoothmann, on 05/11/2008, -0/+2I dropped the kids off at the pool once
- 4321234, on 05/11/2008, -1/+1In Soviet Russia, pool cleans you!
- Grotburger, on 05/11/2008, -0/+0Did anyone else notice them talking about acclimatising the fish for an hour (traditionally done by floating the bag in the water for awhile) and then cut to a woman pouring them in from about a foot above the water level?
- mmeiser, on 05/12/2008, -0/+1You know what else is great for unattended pools and houses? SKATEBOARDING!
Cheers. :) - ralphroberts, on 05/12/2008, -2/+0"They are real heroes" We Need All The Hero We Can Get To Help Fight Real Estate and Mortgage Fraud. "which is cause of most foreclosed homes" www.FlippingFrenzy.com by Ralph R. Roberts
- yingjai, on 05/12/2008, -0/+2"...Some begin eating each other after they run out of mosquito larvae." ... "most fish will probably die as home owners drain the pools or begin treating them so they can swim in them."
"That's part of the program,'' ... "They are sacrificial."
where's the animal cruelty people now? or do they only campaign for cute animals?
© Digg Inc. 2008 —
Content posted by