mosquito larvae in rainbarrel

Discussion in 'Outdoor Gardening in the Pacific Northwest' started by teresa, Jun 21, 2021.

  1. teresa

    teresa Active Member

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    I have been having problems with mosquito larvae in my 20 year old converted oak whiskey barrel rain barrel.
    Last year I tried adding bleach unsuccessfully. This year I purchased a gold fish. It died after 2 weeks...
    I wonder if there is another solution or if I need to stop using this rain barrel.
     
  2. Margot

    Margot Renowned Contributor 10 Years

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    I use a small piece of 'Mosquito Dunks' in our sump until it runs dry.

    "Mosquito Dunks are a safe, non-toxic way to kill mosquitoes. Using a bacteria toxic only to mosquito larvae, they kill mosquitoes within hours and last for 30 days or more. Each package includes 20 Mosquito Dunks and each dunk treats 100 square feet."

    I have a small pump in my half-barrel so-called pond. The moving water keeps mosquito larvae from hatching, if eggs are even laid in the first place.
     
  3. Georgia Strait

    Georgia Strait Generous Contributor

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    Here’s a link to product suggested by @Margot
    https://www.summitchemical.com/mosquito/mosquito-dunks/

    I see it’s on Amazon Ca

    ———-

    Old timers used to pour a bit of oil on the barrel water surface (obviously non toxic oil like canola you’d use in your kitchen)

    This is based on assumption that you drain the rain water from the bottom (ie a spigot) otherwise you’d be dipping your watering bucket through the oil surface

    I notice this old idea is google search result if you’d like to learn more.

    Meanwhile
    Scoop up some of your guests in to a small bucket (yogurt tub?) and pour a bit of kitchen oil on top and see what happens before committing your nice barrel.

    And let us know !
     
  4. Margot

    Margot Renowned Contributor 10 Years

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    For what it's worth, we tried both oil and dish detergent in our sump but didn't notice that it made any difference. Perhaps we didn't use enough.
     
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  5. teresa

    teresa Active Member

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    thank you for this info Margot. Sounds like a great product.
     
  6. teresa

    teresa Active Member

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    Thank you for the link and info. I'm going to try the oil experiment because I'm curious and my barrel does have a bottom spigot.
    Cheers,
    Teresa
     
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  7. Georgia Strait

    Georgia Strait Generous Contributor

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    Margot (above) said they’d tried it ...

    But I think give it a try in an experiment bucket (perhaps in the shade cuz this sunshine is so hot! I don’t know if mosquito soup works well :)
     
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  8. Sulev

    Sulev Contributor

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    If your water stays for long period and you are ready to try fish again, then try Guppies instead of Gold Fish. They are tolerant of wide range of conditions. They easily even reproduce in water tanks. Males just loose their butiful colors if water is not clear and well lit.
     
  9. Georgia Strait

    Georgia Strait Generous Contributor

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