As we know, mosquito larvae live in stagnant puddles of
water. It’s not the larvae that
bite us, but the adults that emerge from areas in our yards like water gardens,
flower pots, bird baths, rain gutters, rain barrels, old tires, tree holes, pet
dishes, decorative ponds or anything else that will hold water for a few days.
Mosquito dunks have been used for over a decade in the US to
kill mosquito larvae before they can turn into biting adults. The dunks are made with Bacillus
thuringiensis subspecies israelensis which is a naturally occurring soil
bacteria used as a microbial insecticide to control the spread of vector-borne
diseases. According to the EPA
this type of mosquito control does not harm people, pets, wildlife, or fish.
The dunks
are easy to use, and can be found on line or at local stores. They can be used in water gardens,
flower pots, bird baths, rain gutters, old tires, water troughs rain barrels, decorative
ponds, or any area that has standing water. They may be safely used in animal drinking water troughs and
bowls that don't have the water changed frequently. If the water is changed
every few days there is no need for the dunks. Caution:
Avoid contamination of feed and foodstuffs. Do not use dunks in finished, treated human drinking water
sources.
Of course the
best way to get rid of mosquitoes is to eliminate the aquatic habitats known to
produce them. Many times
even natural places like tree stumps, or holes in trees can produce
mosquitoes. The least preferred
method of control, is killing the adult mosquito as this requires the use of
broad-spectrum insecticides, which can be harmful to fish, birds and other
animals.
Mosquitoes
do have natural enemies such as bats, birds, and dragonflies, but they may not
be effective control if they don’t have a suitable habitat nearby. Gambusia, or the mosquito fish, are also known to eat mosquito
larvae and could be put in ponds.
But these fish typically cannot survive in small puddles or standing water where
the larvae survive.
No comments:
Post a Comment