The patio is dreamy, with olive trees, candles and quiet, wall-mounted fountains (in which live mosquito fish, which solve whatever bug problem there might be - a transcendent touch).

Fish common to the lake are all introduced species including goldfish, carp, mosquito fish and English perch.

To combat malaria, some mosquito larvae-eating fish were imported from USA during the 1950s.

In the next few years, all the fish species died except for the mosquito fish, and algae blooms proliferated in the foul water.

He added, "If you're worried about mosquitoes, there are mosquito fish and other little eco-systems that you can breed in these bowls that keep those problems down."

Several counties in California distribute mosquito fish at no charge to residents with man-made fishponds and pools as part of their Mosquito Abatement programs.

The Sylmar ponds where the mosquito fish are bred were inundated with ash, resulting in the kill off.

After 1981, the reservoir only supported the most saline tolerant mosquito fish.

"Consider stocking ornamental ponds with predacious minnows," he said, referring to inch-and-a-half-long minnows also known as mosquito fish.

These included the mosquito fish, bluegill, bass, and several species of native frogs.