Tips for Keeping Mosquitoes out of Your Pond

Published on April 25, 2017

Don’t you just love it when mosquitoes turn your pond into their little love nest? Aren’t you tired of swatting at thin air in hopes of saving your shins from those bloodsuckers?

Well, fret no more! With these killer tips on what not to do in your backyard, you will learn what keeps these annoying pests coming back hungry for more.

From investing in prevention to assembling a hit squad, having a balanced ecosystem is key to removing these pesky troublemakers. Boost your pond’s biological cycle by using pond plants for clear and oxygenated water that will keep mosquitoes at bay.

[box style=”rounded” border=”full”] FACT >> Mosquitoes can breed in as little as 1/2-inch of water in saucers or even a bowl and will be fully grown in just eight to 10 days.[/box]

Known to carry a multitude of diseases, mosquitoes infect more than 300 million people each year with malaria and dengue fever. This can be extremely problematic, considering that all a female mosquito requires to lay eggs is stagnant water. This is why it is vital that you use these tips to keep them from overwhelming your pond.

Tip 1: Watch Your Water

Don’t leave containers out to collect rainwater and morning dew. Mosquitoes absolutely love water, especially the scummy kind. They will set up home immediately and start laying eggs in any of those miscellaneous containers without you knowing. Before you know it, they’ll be swarming all over your backyard.

So, take a good, hard assessment of your backyard. Are there any random containers lying around? Are your garden pots collecting water? Start clearing them out, unless you want a “Zika-palooza” out back this upcoming year.

Tip 2: Maintain Your Pond

As with all bad things, they only get worse when ignored. So don’t let mosquitoes infect your backyard by leaving a pool or body of water sitting to fester.

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Maintaining a healthy and balanced pond really makes the difference when it comes to combating vermin as stubborn as these. With more oxygen in your pond, the female mosquitoes will no longer have the desire to lay their eggs in the water.

Keep a clean and clear pond that is well oxygenated by investing in a water pump, natural algae-control solutions and some beneficial pond plants. Filtering plants like Water Hawthorn and Anacharis will improve water clarity while acting as a natural biological filter for your pond.

Always make sure your pond has movement so it disrupts their young larvae. Also, increasing dissolved oxygen will actually repel mosquitoes from breeding, because their predators need higher levels of oxygen and will eat mosquitoes in a heartbeat.

[box style=”rounded” border=”full”] RELATED CONTENT >> Water Garden Pests and Water Lily Diseases[/box]

An effective way to eliminate mosquito larvae in your pond is to use “mosquito dunks,” which are like Tums for a heartburn — but for any body of water! Effective for 30 days, they will get rid of mosquito larvae without harming the surrounding wildlife, like fish and plants. Buy them in bulk so you can plan ahead for next summer. They’re cheap and should be a staple in your pond maintenance routine.

Tip 3: Call in Some Critters

Be a master of the food chain by introducing dragonflies and mosquito fish into your pond.

Dragonflies can be a beautiful addition. These beasts love devouring mosquitoes from old to young. Dragonfly larvae, also known as nymphs, feed on mosquito larvae to keep the mosquito population down. Adult dragonflies tend to lounge on the pond’s surface, waiting for wandering adult mosquitoes.

Mosquito fish are timeless critters that all mosquitoes fear and are easy to take care of. Not only are they easy to maintain, but they are also wildly effective and hardy in almost any climate. Born and raised in California, these little fish do not lay eggs and are virtually no hassle, since they do not require a special environment to grow. They are ready to eat mosquito larvae at once — and boy, do they! They can eat up to as many as 100 every day, according to the Los Angeles County West Vector & Vector-Borne Disease Control District.

Hope you enjoyed these tips. They certainly are no-brainers when it comes to controlling the mosquito population. With the right nutrients and parameters, a healthy and balanced pond will naturally repel mosquitoes.

[box style=”rounded” border=”full”] FACT >> Attract dragonflies by creating a comfortable and safe environment for them. They like plenty of marginal and bog plants, along with flat rocks. Both adult and young dragonflies enjoy dining on mosquitoes.[/box]

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