Creating a truly mosquito free pond
Fire
Posts: 18,026
Hi, I'd love to create a small pond for wildlife. I am very allergic to mosquito bites. I have done a fair bit of research on how to create a very wildlife pond without the mosquitoes and it seems to come down to using a pump to create moving water. I can't see any other *genuinely* effective ways to ensure mosquito-less water. Fish are a hit and miss solution and are not good for encouraging other water bugs to thrive. I would love to encourage frogs, toads, newts et al but they don't like moving water, as I understand it. I have read about Bacillus thuringiensis subspecies israelenses (BTI) but it seems very hit and miss too. Are there any sure fire ways I could have a real wildlife pond without mosquitoes? Any thoughts are very welcome. Thanks
Posts
if you can get stickleback in there, they'd eat the larvae but I'd imagine you can't remove them from " the wild"
You can buy sticklebacks
http://www.carpco.co.uk/sticklebacks-spine-p-79.html
http://www.mf-aquatics.co.uk/product/3-spined-sticklebacks-1-2-2-5-5cm/
Last edited: 22 May 2017 13:53:49
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I have a pump and fish in my pond and every year at the end of July beg August I get covered in bites from 'something' around the pond.
That's really interesting to know, Chrissie. I didn't think spawn would do well in moving water. Did they come to hang out or to breed also? Out of interest, how often did you have to clean out your pump filter?
As an aside; I create a formal pond with high sides impractical edges that are not really easy for frogs to climb in or out, moving water (a gentle trickle more than a full on fountain), added fish and...
Not only do the frogs breed there but it is rare to NOT see one hanging out in the edges.
Don't worry about perfection when it comes to wildlife. I don't think they've read the manual
Interesting, Clarington. I'm not so much worried about perfection so much as trying to design a wildlife pond that will work for me - being so allergic to bites. Do you have waterboatmen and dragonflies and such despite having fish? I'm just learning now it all works ....
Well, having tried it out, I can confirm that mosquitoes just love to breed in moving water. I installed a small fountain in my pond and hey, presto, it's full of larvae. Their favourite place to lounge seems to be right under the fountain spray. As ever, the wildlife never seem to have read the books and have no idea what they're supposed to dislike. My slugs love eggshells, coffee grounds and sharp gravel. The cats love chilli powder and the mozzies love fountains. Back to the drawing board.
I've never found that mosquitoes breed much in my fish-free ponds (except perhaps when the ponds are new). I suspect the free-swimming larvae are just too vulnerable to predation by invertebrate predators, especially water boatmen (Notonecta). Although the ponds do support other biting insects such as horseflies and blackflies.