Controlling Mosquitos
Mosquito’s have the potential to ruin the prospects for a water garden project. Indeed, the thought that they might be an inevitable natural accompaniment to a pond dissuades many gardeners from embarking upon such a venture. The reality is that they can pose a problem, but only if the elimination of their potential habitat is ignored. In a well-ordered pond, with a properly balanced ecosystem and sensible management there is rarely any need for concern.
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 Mosquito's have the potential to ruin a water garden project.
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 There are several hundred different species of mosquito.
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There are around several hundred different species of mosquito, but only a handful are common and represent a pest threat. Apart from producing an unpleasant bite, mosquito’s can carry diseases like Ross River Virus and Dengue Fever, as well as Heartworm in dogs. It is only the female mosquitos that bite as they require blood in order for their eggs to develop. Male mosquito’s, which are generally very short-lived, feed on honeydew and nectar.
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Mosquito’s are predominantly a nuisance in standing water. Females lay eggs in large numbers. Some deposit them at the surface of the water, others on moist surfaces such as plant debris. This varies according to species. They hatch into larvae which feed on micro-organisms by filtering water. The pupal stage although active, does not feed. It looks rather like an adult insect in the foetal position, eventually hatching out some 10 to 14 days after being conceived and taking to the air.
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 Mosquito's are predominantly a nuisance in standing water.
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 Fish are excellent for controlling mosquitos.
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Fish provide a good control, for they love to feed on the water-borne larvae, but they are not the sole remedy in a pond, for on occasions there is shallow water in the margins which is sufficient for the mosquito’s to breed in, but inaccessible to the fish, especially if there is plant debris present. Plant debris and floating pads of algae can provide protection for mosquito larvae, so scrupulous maintenance is essential.
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| The movement of water also disrupts the life cycle at the larval stage, the constant sprinkling of the water surface by a fountain making life virtually untenable. There are also preparations that can be added to the water. Pre-strike controls, which are rarely necessary in a garden pond, but often used in larger areas of open water ensure the death of emerging larvae.
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For the most part these are based upon ingredients such as methoprene. Mosquito dunks, which look like small doughnuts, are also used as an on-going control. These last for around thirty days and are impregnated with a biological larvacide called BTI (Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis) a bacteria which acts on the gastrointestinal system of the larvae.
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 Mosquito dunks contain a biological larvacide which kills larvae.
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