Mozzies

[Fi]

We have four water butts, all with lids, but we seem to be getting a lot of mozzies in the garden and in the house.  It might be they are breeding in the pond, where we don't have fish, or from the drainage ditch at the other side of the boundary at the bottom of the garden.  Anyway, is there anything we can put in the butts so the water is still fine for garden use to kill them?  And in the pond?

[hellymedic]

A fountain?

[Fi]

I'm wondering if we need to get some fish for the pond, but it's supposed to be a "wildlife pond" i.e native, local species plants, sloping side for the birdies to bathe in (and they do). I think  fountain might mess that up.

[hellymedic]

I suspect you're right. IIRC mozzies will breed on any stagnant water - a puddle will do. I was thinking that stirring the water with a fountain would not poison it but might discourage the ****ing mozzies.

[Fi]

Thanks. I suspect I might have to if all else fails. I've killed four this evening in my playroom already.

[Jon P]

The mozzies hatch in the water, so covering it with a layer of something means they can't breathe.  Cooking oil might be unsuitable but in the SE, where the problem has escalated in recent years, they were talking about using polystyrene pellets.

[Fi]

I'll look into that thanks.  I'm not sure how big a problem the butts cause as they do have lids.  I suspect the big problem is with the drainage ditch (we back onto flood plain, very pretty when it does) that was dredged by the council some years ago and they messed up the batter.  Since then, the water has not flowed, save once when the plain filled.

I could find the old pond pump and put that in the pond for a bit once a week.

[andygates]

The mozzies hatch in the water, so covering it with a layer of something means they can't breathe.  Cooking oil might be unsuitable but in the SE, where the problem has escalated in recent years, they were talking about using polystyrene pellets.

That's a really neat idea for water butts.  Packing peanuts ought to do the job.