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How to Prevent Mosquitoes in Ponds

mosqutio marked out on pond

Backyard ponds and water features bring lots of beauty and joy to their surroundings. They are especially wonderful during the spring and summer months. While warm weather is the prime time to enjoy being outside around your water, it’s also prime time for one of the most annoying pests: mosquitoes. Keep reading to find out how you can prevent these pests from ruining the perfect ambiance you’ve created in your yard.

Do koi ponds attract mosquitoes?

Koi ponds and water features do attract mosquitoes because mosquitoes lay their eggs on water. Generally, they’ll have a little bit of difficulty with a pond with good movement because they need stagnant areas to lay their eggs. However, if you have little niches or areas of standing water, they can be breeding grounds.

How to keep mosquitoes out of ponds

Get your water moving

Increase surface movement in stagnant areas of your pond with aeration. If you already have an aeration system, install a diffuser in the area that needs movement. If you don’t have an aeration system, we highly recommend investing in one. Water movement from aeration will help ward off mosquitoes and comes with many additional benefits for your pond.

Aquascape also makes a remote submersible, magnetic drive pump that you can use to get water moving in a specific area. This pond pump wires to their low voltage lighting transformer and comes with an adjustable head. The adjustable head allows you to angle water flow in the area you need movement.

Kill mosquito larvae in ponds with BTI bacteria

Cut mosquitos off at the source with BTI bacteria. This bacteria mixture is designed to get rid of mosquito larvae in a pond. It targets larvae that have been laid and kills these mosquitoes before they ever hatch. BTI itself is a sweet substance that the larvae enjoy eating—they die through the ingestion of it.

Summit makes a great BTI product called Mosquito Dunks. These dunks are basically like donuts with BTI bacteria in them; they float on ponds and stay active for 30 days. Each small dunk is approximately 4 inches in diameter and can handle up to 100 sq ft of surface. For smaller ponds or areas where less is needed, you can break the dunks in pieces.

Mosquito Bits are a similar product made by Summit. This product is great to use around small puddles of standing water. Sprinkle it around your waterfall or flower pots where splashes are likely to occur. You can even water your houseplants with a "tea" made from Mosquito Bits to kill fungus gnat larvae in the soil. Bits are messy though, so we would only advise using it in these small areas (the dunks are much better for the full pond treatment).

Microbe-Lift also makes a BTI product called Biological Mosquito Control. It doesn’t last as long as Summit’s products, but it is cleaner. It’s a liquid that you pour into the pond and stays active for about 2 weeks. It does the same thing as both Summit products, killing any mosquito larvae present.

Is BTI bacteria safe for fish & pets?

BTI bacteria is completely safe for fish, pets and even humans. It doesn’t hurt anything else except for other insects like fungus gnats and flies. It’s even safe if a fish eats larvae that has ingested the bacteria. This is why BTI products are a popular choice for getting rid of mosquitoes.

Start treating early!

Many mosquitoes actually lay their eggs in the fall, and then they lay dormant all winter. They begin to hatch and become active in warm, spring weather, around 80 degrees. For the best results treat with BTI early in the spring—killing any larvae present before they ever have a chance to hatch. Continuing treating through the summer months.

Don’t forget your decorative features, too!

The water reservoirs in decorative features can become breeding grounds for mosquitoes, too, especially when they’re turned off. It’s important to use a mosquito treatment in these features or you will end up swatting away mosquitos later. Tear a piece of a Mosquito Dunk off and toss it into the reservoir to keep mosquitoes away for 30 days at a time.

Enjoy your pond, mosquito free

Follow the suggestions laid out here and you’ll be much better poised to enjoy your pond without any rude interruptions from mosquitoes. We hope you have a spectacular pond season!

Article Posted: 05/04/2023 04:28:58 PM

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Aquascape 2-Outlet Aeration Kit
SKU: 75000
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Microbe-Lift Biological Mosquito Control, 6 Ounces
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Summit Mosquito Dunks 6-pack
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$13.39 $10.95 (Save 18%)
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Summit Mosquito Bits, 8 Ounces - Kills Mosquito Larvae within 24 hours
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