Water gardens are a wonderful addition to any yard or garden. They can stand alone as the center piece of your yard or serve as a tranquil backdrop. In addition, once they are established, they require little to no upkeep. One issue with any standing water on your property, including water gardens, is that it is a breeding ground for mosquitoes, which lay their eggs in standing water. You can however, prevent mosquito breeding in your garden with little or no additional maintenance. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
Killing mosquitoes before they mature
1. Drop a mosquito dunk that contains Bti in once every thirty days. These dunks are small circular cakes that float in the garden, slowly releasing a biological control agent that the larvae eat. According to the EPA, Bti is "a naturally occurring soil bacterium registered for control of mosquito larvae." It is completely safe and environmentally sound, affecting only mosquito and black fly larvae.
2. Sprinkle a granular insect growth regulator (IGR), that contains methoprene across the water surface every thirty days. It arrests the larval growth in the pupal stage and they die.
3. Add a waterfall, current or fountain to the water garden to agitate the water surface. Mosquito larvae require still water to mature.
4. Add fish to your water garden. They add an interesting touch and they eat mosquito larvae. Both Koi and goldfish are popular choices. Fish do need places to hide from predators however, and their numbers need to remain low to prevent overpopulation (click on the link about pond fish below for further information).
5. Attract frogs to the garden by ensuring that there is ample shade; shallow areas for them to enter and leave the water; and places where they can hide from predators, such as plant cover or a rock outcropping. Like fish, they are a unique addition to the garden and mosquito larvae are on their menu, too.
Tags: every thirty, every thirty days, from predators, garden They, hide from, hide from predators, mosquito larvae