Mosquitoes.. I need ideas.

Joined
Dec 21, 2015
Messages
1,416
Reaction score
762
Location
Hershey, PA
Showcase(s):
2
Hardiness Zone
6A
Country
United States
Before my wife, mother and the in-laws start making making heavier suggestions to "remove the pond".

What are some ideas you guys got to reduce these pesky critters.
- I put in 2 dunks in a 1000 pond, once a month.
- I got minnows and goldfish in my pond.

What else can I do??? :(
 

morewater

President, Raccoon Haters International
Joined
Feb 18, 2014
Messages
1,344
Reaction score
1,673
Location
Southern Ontario
Showcase(s):
1
Hardiness Zone
5b
Country
Canada
Active aeration in the "stagnant" areas of the pond.

Install underwater lighting in the pond. The mosquito larva are attracted to it and the fish will pick them off in the light.
 

Mmathis

TurtleMommy
Joined
Apr 28, 2011
Messages
14,230
Reaction score
8,295
Location
NW Louisiana -- zone 8b
Hardiness Zone
8b
Country
United States
Chances are that the mosquitos are not coming from your pond at all, but more likely from any standing water nearby, even at a neighbor's house, or a ditch. They only lay their eggs in still water. If they did lay any in the pond, fish would eat 'em. During the day time, mosquitoes will hang out in shrubs. Prevention: empty anything that holds or collects water (rain water, from lawn watering.....). This has to be an on-going project. If you use any insecticide sprays aimed as the shrubs, choose a windless day to keep spray out of the pond. Tell the ladies to apply a skin-screen (mosquito repellant) before they go outside.
 
Joined
Jun 5, 2013
Messages
2,189
Reaction score
1,332
Location
NC, US
Showcase(s):
1
Hardiness Zone
7a
Country
United States
find top feeding fish like molly or guppy. You need to move them inside when it's cold though. I notice my goldfish don't eat mosquitoes larvae as much as i need them to, they are mostly middle/bottom feeder so they dont look at the top as much as the 'top feeder' do. So i put some guppy/molly in the pond in the late spring to help :)
 

Mmathis

TurtleMommy
Joined
Apr 28, 2011
Messages
14,230
Reaction score
8,295
Location
NW Louisiana -- zone 8b
Hardiness Zone
8b
Country
United States
Active aeration in the "stagnant" areas of the pond.

Install underwater lighting in the pond. The mosquito larva are attracted to it and the fish will pick them off in the light.
Avoiding "stagnant" water is the key, yes. Mosquitoes won't lay their eggs on a pond that has water movement. And if they did, the fish would gobble up the larvae pretty quick, lights or no lights.
 
Joined
Sep 18, 2012
Messages
4,523
Reaction score
3,717
Location
Desoto, Texas (Dallas County) North Texas, Zone 8a
Showcase(s):
1
With moving water, mosquito dunks and the fish you should be fine. Inspect your yard for objects and areas where water can accumulate. Such as bird baths, trash cans, depression in your lawn, flower pots, overturned trash can lid, children's wading pools and toys. Mosquitos can lay eggs in an are as small as a quarter.

Good luck and happy ponding.
 
Joined
Dec 21, 2015
Messages
1,416
Reaction score
762
Location
Hershey, PA
Showcase(s):
2
Hardiness Zone
6A
Country
United States
BTW I do have an Aerator with 4 outlets in the pond, in addition to the waterfall from the filter and a waterfall from the bog and the skimmer.

Our neighborhood has lots of overgrown English Ivy. That stuff is mosquito heaven. Can't stand it. If you have any of that, you might consider pulling it out?

I have to look up pictures of that...

I may have some I'm not sure.....

I think I may start spraying the ground past the pond, it slopes downwards so no risk of getting into the pond.
 

addy1

water gardener / gold fish and shubunkins
Moderator
Joined
Jun 23, 2010
Messages
44,829
Reaction score
29,770
Location
Frederick, Maryland
Showcase(s):
1
Hardiness Zone
6b
Country
United States
We are mosquito less, I think mainly because we have 60 plus bird houses, bats, frogs, fish, dragon flies, they don't have a chance.
 

Mmathis

TurtleMommy
Joined
Apr 28, 2011
Messages
14,230
Reaction score
8,295
Location
NW Louisiana -- zone 8b
Hardiness Zone
8b
Country
United States
What do you guys think of this?
It's certainly worth a try. I wish he had shown it in action and with trapped mosquitoes. Mosquitoes are attracted to the CO2 we exhale, but they are also very weak flyers [which is the main reason they lay their eggs in still water].

If you make one, please post a video of how effective it is! I was impressed with how quiet his fan was, so you might want to research that, as well -- no one likes to compete with a noisy fan. And it's got a dual purpose -- it's a fan as well as a mosquito trap! Go for it!
 
Joined
Dec 21, 2015
Messages
1,416
Reaction score
762
Location
Hershey, PA
Showcase(s):
2
Hardiness Zone
6A
Country
United States
We are mosquito less, I think mainly because we have 60 plus bird houses, bats, frogs, fish, dragon flies, they don't have a chance.

So i was looking at bird houses and baths yesterday to try and attract more birds. I got a bunch of frogs and obviously fish. Dragon flies are a rarity.
 

Ask a Question

Want to reply to this thread or ask your own question?

You'll need to choose a username for the site, which only take a couple of moments. After that, you can post your question and our members will help you out.

Ask a Question

Members online

Forum statistics

Threads
31,454
Messages
517,161
Members
13,663
Latest member
Heron399+*

Latest Threads

Top