Mosquito fish to combat the summer infestation of the insects are free for the taking today at the Manteca Senior Center on Cherry Lane behind the Manteca Police Department from 9 a.m. until 11:30.

Residents in Lathrop have the opportunity to pick up the mosquito fighting fish from 1 until 2 p.m. today at the Manuel Valverde Park at 15557 Fifth St. Stocktonians will get their chance to pick up fish on Friday from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m., at Swenson Park Golf Course north parking lot at 6803 Alexandria Place. 

Aaron Devencenzi and staffers from the San Joaquin County Mosquito and Vector Control District distributed free mosquito fish Wednesday in Ripon. It is a bid to augment aerial spraying of South County areas to ward off the West Nile Virus being spread by mosquitoes

They handed out containers of minnows to eight Ripon residents Wednesday. They also received a request for a service call from City Clerk Lisa Roos about a home with a green pool she believed to be a possible source of mosquitos.

The eight to receive the fish Wednesday was a large contrast to last year when the mosquito district handed out only three in Ripon, 22 in Manteca, nine in Lathrop and 15 in Escalon.  Mike White, who lives on Third Street near the downtown Ripon area, said he is using the fish to treat an ornamental fountain at his home.  In the cities of Tracy and Lodi the district workers handed out 23 and 24 small containers of fish to residents there this week.

Ideal places to make use of mosquito fish to prevent their development are ornamental ponds, neglected swimming pools and animal water troughs.  For more information call the district office at 982-4675 or www.sjmosquito.org.  Their officers are located at 7759 South Airport Way, Stockton, CA.