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Gambusia affinis is commonly known as the mosquitofish and is stocked into waters around the world as a bio control of mosquito larvae.
If you fill a large trash can with water, and add mosquitofish, you will reduce the population of adult mosquitoes, since the larvae all get eaten from those mosquitoes that breed in your trash can.
I have used this method in both central Florida and California's Central Valley. You don't even have to feed the fish, just add a little water periodically to replace that lost by evaporation. If you are in an area with chlorine or chloramine in your tap water, you should use rainwater, or treat the water sodium thiosulphate (found in pet stores for aquariums), or let the water stand for several days before adding fish.
I have recently introduced Gambusia fish to my small pond/fountain. We don't have mosquito larva yet so I'm feeding them a little goldfish food. I hesitate to put them in a rain barrel, though I've heard that you can. They are fun to watch but need to come indoors to an aquarium in the winter where I live. Good article.
I wintered my little goldfish in an aquarium and they grew! I'm STILL in the process of installing a small (100 gallon) prefab pond for them. They did a great job of keeping the mosquitoes at bay last year.
Just a little hint on the goldfish. They are cold water fish and so unless your pond freezes solid in the winter they can stay outside all winter. They can do fine even if the surface freezes over as long as they have food and oxygen in the water.
cmsjjdr: Last year I had 30-gal half barrel sitting on the ground and was afraid the goldfish would not make it through the winter in it, so I brought them inside. I'm hoping this larger 100-gal, in-ground, pond form will allow them to live outdoors through the winter.
