Mosquitos....UGH!!!

[Emily1220]

I give my girls fresh water at least twice a day and every time I finish I have about a dozen or more mosquito bites on me. Any ideas how to get rid of them?? Ummm....the mosquitos, not the bites!!

And also, is it ok to put a shovelful of my compost mixture into the run for the girls to eat the worms and maggots in it?? There are millions of them in my two barrels.

 

[ALRwild]

Sorry about the mosquitoes... I wish I could help, but I don't have enough mosquitoes around where I live to know (they've all been sprayed!) On the compost part I would say go for it unless your afraid of getting a messy run!

 

[jomoncon]

To help with the mosquitos, get rid of any standing water. Mosquitos breed in standing water. In my birdbath & fountain, I use mosquito dunks like these: http://www.amazon.com/Summit-110-12-Mosquito-Dunks-6-Pack/dp/B0000AH849/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1310695763&sr=8-5.

Outside of that, wear mosquito repellent, such as Off. It stinks, but it works.

 

[dianaross77]

What about adding a bubbler? I'm pretty sure moving water is unsuitable for mosquito larvae. You could add mosquito fish but the ducks would probably eat them.

 

[duckduckturkey]

The mosquitoes obviously are not breeding in the water you give the girls, so the first thing to do is determine where they are coming from. Once you find the source, you can do start to do something about it.

Mosquitoes and I have a love hate relationship. I hate them, they love me. I cleaned out a previous neighbor's pond several times a year for 18 years in order to be mosquito free. Could have reported them to the County, but we like our neighbors more than that.

I see jomoncon recommended dunks. I have had mixed results with dunks. Initial success, but ultimately, I can't say I was impressed. My long standing favorite is ten for a dollar gold fish. I keep fish in all my water sources regardless of size. Rain barrells, ponds, even nooks in trees. There's a tree in the woods that holds about five gallons of rain water. For years I've fished out the season's debris and flushed it out, but this year I figured it was time to try fish. I've got them everywhere else, why not there? Of course, a simpler solution would be to just drill a hole at the base of the catch basin so it doesn't fill up in the first place. Alas, I don't have a power drill and all my hand drills are too weak for it. It's been on my to do list for 25 years. Just haven't gotten there yet.

Netting is also a good way to get rid of mosquito larvae. Just swipe a fish net through the water and dump them on the ground.

Anyway, let me know where and what is the water source that is allowing mosquitoes to breed and I can be of more help. Otherwise, and it's a good idea either way, your best bet is to contact your local County Vector control office.

Best of Luck!

PS Frogs. I'm also really big on frogs. You have to start them out as tad poles, but once they get to be frogs, their gobble up everything!

 

[Cadjien_De_Louisiane]

I spray permethrin