One of the quickest ways to get me up at night, is to hear the high piercing sound of a mosquito buzzing around my head. Frankly, I’m on red alert anytime I SEE hear or HEAR a mosquito.
ZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzz…
Do you know what I mean? It’s hilarious that such a tiny insect can cause so much stress! But they bite and can carry some nasty stuff like west nile virus, dengue fever and malaria (okay maybe not here in the US just yet). Still, who wants the itch, the bites, the worry, the stress.
The interesting thing is that in a number of gardening situations we actually have created the perfect breeding ground for these tiny terrors.
Think about the unplugged garden fountain that’s filled with water, or a bird bath? So if you’re wondering how to kill mosquito larvae in standing water: Maybe yours is a pond. There is a good organic solution.
What Does the Trick?
- Using products like ‘Mosquito Dunks’ which use biological control agent: Bacillus thuringiensis serotype israelensis (Bti)
What is Bacillus thurgensis israelensis?
According to Wikipedia:
Is a group of bacteria used as biological control agents for larvae stages of certain dipterans. Bti produces toxins which are effective in killing various species of mosquitoes, fungus gnats, and blackflies, while having almost no effect on other organisms. Indeed, this is one of the major advantages of B. thuringiensis products in general is that they are thought to affect few nontarget species.
Mosquito Dunks
Fortunately this biological control is available in the form of Mosquito Dunks, a small donut-shaped product that can be dropped into a pond or fountain. These dunks will not affect or harm your fish, but will control mosquitoes for up to 30 days. You’ll just need to remember to add a new dunk to keep unwanted mosquitoes away.
Other ways to naturally control mosquitoes such as emptying pots, buckets or other items around the yard that catch water and leave them overturned. When it comes to ponds, fountains and bird baths, you can either change the water once a week, treat them once a month with mosquito dunks, or keep the water circulating. You can also plant mosquito repelling plants around your home such as lavender, rosemary and catnip. Read more about natural mosquito control in this post.
Happy Gardening,
ps: A few more products (shown below) that help repel mosquitoes!