Abstract.The copepodMesocyclops aspericornisDaday and the larvivorous fishesGambusia affinis(B.&G.) andPoecilia reticulataR.&B., were released into mosquito breeding sites in Tuherahera village, Tikehau atoll, French Polynesia, to control larvae ofAedes aegypti(L.),Ae.polynesiensisMarks,Culex annulirostrisSkuse andCx quinquefasciatusSay. Treatments were completed within a week, in January 1990.Fish quickly eliminated mosquito larvae from the open breeding sites (ponds, wells). The impact of copepods in water tanks, drums and covered wells was inconsistent, apparently depending on the availability of microfaunal diet for growth of copepod nauplii. As the biting rate of adultAe.aegyptiseemed to be unaffected by the biological control of larvae, this village‐scale experiment was judged to be unsuccessful as a means of vector contro