Pond follow up…. Mosquitoes 🦟

Jacquimcmahon

Ok so my pond seems to be doing ok…. But now I see los of little swimming insects, which look a lot like mosquitoes larvae 🤬 so how do I know I’m not just creating a nightmare scenario of miserable bites in my future evenings? Is there any way to stop the mozzies taking advantage? 

Fire

I use a product either called Mozi Bits or Dunks. You just need a little pinch and targets mozi larva right away. I tried a fountain to move the water but it made zero difference. I’m very allergic to the mozi salvia and swell up, so the bits/ crumbled dunks have allowed me to have a pond in the garden and to sit out. 

My small packet lasted about five years due my small pond, a pinch every three months or so. You can see when it has stopped working as the wrigglers return. I now split packs with friends. 

Jacquimcmahon

Oh, off to surf where I can get these in France…. Thanks 

KeenOnGreen

Are you sure they are Mosquito larvae, and not Damselfly larvae, or similar? Damselfly and Dragonfly larvae would usually eat any Mosquito larvae, and anything else they can fit in their mouths. I don't remember having any Mosquito larvae in any of our ponds, as I'm sure they were predated by other species. 

Where you have standing water, with no other predatory species, that's the greatest risk of Mosquitoes breeding (i.e., Buckets/Water Butts, etc). I don't think ponds fall into this category, for the reasons mentioned in paragraph 1.

Also: I can't imagine the above product would only kill the larvae of one species, and not all the other lovely critters in your pond. 

Jacquimcmahon

Hi KeenOnGreen, my “pond” is an above ground one on a first floor terrace, so the insects species are limited. I have seen a couple of adult dragonflies but they don’t “hang around” as there is a much better series of “real” ponds across from me. 

I gave up trying to keep the pond clear and have let it “settle” with a few marginal plants and some small floating ones. There is a solar powered fountain that works until about 3pm, then it’s pretty still and in shade for the rest of the day. I don’t know if it therefore equals standing water in the true sense.

KeenOnGreen

We rarely see Dragonflies breeding in our pond too @Jacquimcmahon, as it is also too small, however we occasionally see their larvae hatching, so the odd one or two must be using it for breeding.

It's much more common to see Damselflies laying eggs, even in small ponds. If you are not seeing them, or some of the other common predators (Water boatmen), then your pond might constitute standing water (populated with Mosquito larvae). 

If you have large ponds nearby, as you say, couldn't the Mosquitoes just come to bite you from there? Not trying to be negative, but just wondering if the intended results you want from the pesticide will actually be cancelled out by them coming from elsewhere.

I get badly bitten by Mozzies, and hate them, and they are the sole reason why we rarely spend evenings in the garden. I hate Mozzie repellant, but do use a product called Skin So Soft, by Avon. Apparently the British Army use it, however I'm not 100% sure it has worked for me. It does smell much nicer than the usual repellant though, and acts as a nice moisturiser! Good luck with the biters!

Fire

If you look up mozzie wrigglers, you can get to know their movement pretty well, with practice. They are pretty distinctive. 

As with the discussion around slugs, there is a theory of balancing out but this is perhaps dependant on age, scale, depth, placement. In some places, I think balance may never happen - as with deer and rats. 

ShepherdsBarn

We have a water butt and I have noticed mosquito larvae in there. So would it be okay to add a small amount to the pond to feed the newts etc? 😀 

Fire

To put water from the water butt to the pond? I should think that would be fine.

fidgetbones

A couple of small fish will take care of the mozzy larvae.

dappledshade

Agree with Keen.
Our little pond has plenty of larvae dotted about, but they are damsel and dragonfly larvae. 

The newts (and the one solitary frog) hoover up anything and the mozzies doesn’t stand a chance.