Mosquito eating machines!

[awarmrainyday]

This is my first summer with Muscovy Ducks and I just realized something: WE HAVE NO MOSQUITOES!! We live in the woods at the base of the Appalachian Mountains so normally we are bombarded with mosquitos, you get bitten just walking out to get in your car. I just asked a friend if mosquitos were out at her house and she said yes they are terrible. If I had known this I would have gotten Muscovy ducks years ago and skipped all the yard sprays, foggers and tiki torches that never worked.

I watch them in the evening waddling across the yard chasing and snapping at things in the air, now I know exactly what they are munching on! I have ducklings that have been snapping bugs out of the air since the day they hatched. We still have gnats and ticks but with no mosquitos I can actually feed the chickens without drenching myself in mosquito repellent first! In fact the only time I've used repellent so far this year was when I was right down along some brush on our property. I've heard they are excellent bug eaters but I am really impressed!

 

[sourland]

As a kid I had the small creek behind our house dammed to form a half a dozen small pools. Every morning when I would let the ducks out they would rush to the ponds and skim the egg 'rafts' and pupating mosquito larvae from the pond surface. They would then spend the rest of the day catching adults and flies.

 

[drumstick diva]

That proves it to me - every home should have at least a hungry duck or two or three - think of all the $$$ the mosquito abatement programs would save.