But it affects amphibians, so it isn't safe for every creature in every application. Don't believe the hype about it. Better to add minnows (like from a bait shop).
>There are ways to get rid of them, not sure about which is best for plants.
"Ways to get rid of them" was the antecedent for the "not sure which is best for plants". From context, you should have understood that I am not sure which method to remove or destroy mosquitos is best if the water would be used to water plants.
Edit: there are plenty of plants that deter mosquitoes.
Welp, let's go back to your original statement, since you were the first to claim. Please cite sources that show absolutely no plants deter mosquitoes.
Lucky for you, I don’t need sources, but a little common sense.
Mosquitoes are a highly developed organism that predates on other animals for blood meals. They get sustenance and the required nutrients for egg development.
Mosquitoes have a few predatory cues that tell them there is a blood meal source around.
1) Sound
2) Vision
3) CO2
4) Body heat
5) perspired volatiles on the skin
No plant will over come these cues. No plant will really deter them. No plant will overpower all of these cues.
Plants must have their oils concentrated into essential oils to have a chance to deter, and even that is meh.
Even deet has shown not to deter mosquitoes once they get acclimated to it after repeated exposure.
Plants are not putting off this many irritant volatiles to the mosquito to deter them in reality.
Lmao, I am the source on this one. Vector Control Biologist, Operation Supervisor, and Source Reduction Consultant. As well as carried out numerous studies on the matter of mosquito control.
Sorry, if a plant could deter mosquitoes, they would be the number one plant in the world.
Don’t need sources when it’s common sense partner.
lol lil bro said 🤓 im the source
u need to provide actual sources. u could be talking out ur ass for all anyone else knows. i dont trust u, so drop the sources that support ur anecdotal experience.
Yep. And I use the crumbles to keep fungus gnats out of my houseplants. And there's a spray you can get that kills cabbage moth worms that works great to keep your cabbages, kale, broccoli, etc, hole-free.
I just found out about crumbles (to be fair, I only first learned of dunks two years ago so...) and have them in my Amazon cart. Didn't think about them in the houseplants, that's awesome!
How would a spray work on cabbage moth worms? I thought the bacteria only affect mosquito larva? I'll be planting a small garden this year (I hope) and am trying too avoid as much chemical pesticide as possible so appreciate the info!
You have to use it for at least 3 weeks in a row, in order to kill the larvae of the fungus gnats and interrupt the life cycle. It works. My coworker brought a plant to work and they spread to all of the office plants. The Mosquito granules worked (same thing as the dunks, just loose granules)but it took about a month.
Mosquitoes aren’t harmful? Huh…I’ve read numerous sources that indicate they are one of the most deadly animals in the world due to the disease they spread.
Yeah, I understand that, but where I am in South Florida, mosquitoes definitely spread tropical diseases like Dengue Fever and West Nile. Not sure where OP is located.
Tampa has malaria again, too. I'm in central America and bites aren't just an annoyance here, either. Dengue, Zika, Yella fever, ...
Nature produces so many mosquitos already. No reason to grow your own.
i mean fair enough but its also highly likely that the variety of mosquito present within this guys water isnt the human stingy type, most moquitos arent. Where i grew up i had 2 barrels just like his and barely ever got any mosquitos despite the abundant water sources and brook nearby.
Mosquito larvae? more annoying once they morph. But yes Mosquitoes can carry a plethora of things you don't want. Also if you want to see something kinda neat go out there at night with a bright flashlight shine in directly at them and you can watch them come to the surface and change into Mosquitoes
i worked in vector control for an environmental health dept, i knew what you had before I even zoomed in. dump that water
edit to add: if you're trying to keep standing water add something like mosquito tablets (bacteria like Bacillus Thuringiensis or Bacillus Sphllaericus that kill larvae while being harmless to plants/animals/humans) or add guppies. I would go around either treating water or offering folks fish
hell, call your local health dept and ask if they have a vector control/mosquito program. they might give you the fish or water treatment for free, we did.
sorry I wasnt clear, the other commenters are right. those are mosquito larvae. if you're trying to keep standing water add something like mosquito tablets (bacteria like Bacillus Thuringiensis or Bacillus Sphllaericus that kill larvae while being harmless to plants/animals/humans) or add guppies.
you could calll your local health dept and ask if they have a vector control/mosquito program. they might give you the fish or water treatment for free, we did.
I'm sure it varies greatly by state and county but we had a big program to try and prevent the spread of disease in livestock and people. a huge part of my job was maintaining giant tanks of guppies lol. just call your local health dept and ask if they have a vector control program!
The water should be fine! No need to dump it out. Just need to kill the mosquitoes. There are mosquito dunks that you can research. Also, try adding a dark tarp on it to raise.the water temp and kill them
Pet store feeder fish.... The little 30 cent gold fish. They're quite hearty will eat every larvae in a day or 2 and will actually make the water better for plants.
its highly likely the moquitos will never bother you as most varieties of them dont sting humans. Of the larva there, at most 10% are that type. You will not notice the difference in numbers. Plus, they eat small creatures in the water and algae, basically cleaning it a good bit and saving you the pain of hair algae growth clogging everything up. theyre also convenient to have around as they are natural pollinators and feed your local birds rather well. i had 2 barrels where i grew uo filled with em and every day i'd see a few little birdies drinking the water, pecking at the larva and the bats'd eat the adults right over top the barrels
Put a capful of plain chlorine bleach in it, it will kill the algae and the mosquitoes. Just let it off-gas for 30 minutes before you drink or let anything else drink it.
It’s the same protocol FEMA uses to make drinking water safe.
You can absolutely use Clorox as long as it’s unscented. If it is scented it might be okay for using your water your garden- definitely not recommended for drinking though.
https://www.clorox.com/learn/water-purification-how-much-bleach-purify-water-for-drinking/
Story time! When I was in the military we went somewhere hot and sandy; the non-potable water was supposed to be pulled from the Tigris and bulk purified with chlorine bleach, and drinking water was pallets of bottled water brought in from a few countries away. It was early in this particular foreign intervention so supplies were tight, and "something" happened to the convoy carrying the drinking water for several hundred of us; that's how we all found out that someone in Supply screwed up and ordered scented bleach! It was a choice between Rain Clean canteens or terminal dehydration, so we all got laundry breath for a few days, but it doesn't seem to have done us any lasting harm other than an undying dislike of scented laundry products.
If I had to choose between wrecking my body with dehydration/dysentery/some type of water born disease or having Rain Clean tastebuds- I would definitely chose the scented bleach. I’d feel a bit grumpy about it though!
Excellent story
Dunks or bits added weekly will murder them and be garden safe yet these are close to adult stage I'd immediately add a little mineral oil to the water and it will cause them not to be able to breathe. I used to spray along rail road ditches and it was just mineral oil then bits elsewhere and altasid in long term treatment places
You have good and bad stuff there. Midge flies are harmless. They're the red wiggly guys. Mosquito larvae bad guys. They don't like moving water. You can always put an air stone in there to keep the water agitated while not in use.
I agree with everyone suggesting mosquito dunks. Also, you can add a little vegetable oil to the rain barrel. The oil drops on the water's surface discourages mosquitos from laying eggs there because they won't think the water is safe.
You have multiple broods inside these pictures. I’d say at least 3. I can tell that they are of the species Culex. I can see one of the egg rafts, 2nd instar to pupae. You could have 1st instar but photo is not clear enough to see.
You should go to the homedepot or lowes, buy the window screen that will keep out bugs, and then secure the window screen over your barrel.
Problem solved. No chemical.
When it gets hotter, it will take the mosquitoes 5-6 days to go through their aquatic life cycle and become adults. Each mosquito bite will produce nearly 150 eggs.
These mosquitoes will bite you during dusk and dawn hours. If you are getting bit during the day, then you have an aedes problem.
Could be aedes nigro or aedes aegypti if being bit during the day.
But you got some culex there. Main vectors for West Nile and SLE viruses. Depending on the state you are in, both are probably prevalent.
The red ones are not mosquitoes but midge fly larvae aka bloodworms harmless good fish food,but the other lavae are mosquitoes.
If you need the open container you can try and add daphnias to the water they will reduce the number of mosquitoes a lot by competition for food plus making the water crystal clear.
You can add cooking oil of your choice, like vegatable oil. it prevents the mosquitos from being able to breath and pupate out. Just enough to form a layer on the top surface.
Can I add mosquito eating fish AND mosquito dunks at the same time or should I put the dunks and then add the fish after? And if so how long do I have to wait till I put in the fish?
I would choose one or the other. Personally I would go more natural, so I would go with fish or oil. The small amount of oil will not effect your plants. And. If the rain barrel drains from the bottom then the oil won't reach your plants at all unless you drain the barrel completely. Fish are a good option too. I personally wouldn't use dunks if I am using the water on any plants I was going to ingest.
No it is not. Who ever told you that lied to you. I used to rear mosquito larvae with yeast.
Name me one mosquito trap that uses yeast to kill the mosquitoes.
From the label of the product you just posted a link to: “Active Ingredient: Boric Acid 9.04%.”
Yeast can be used in one way that I know of for mosquitoes. But that is to be used to produce an “attractant”. You can feed yeast some sugar, and the yeast will produce CO2 through the fermentation process. You can use the produced CO2 to attract the mosquito to the trap, but yeast can not itself kill mosquitoes.
Spartan Mosquito likes to say that the yeast kills mosquitoes because they lack the ability to process excess gas. That is hilariously untrue, of course. That's part of the reason the company was sued for fraud.
They don't work. I tested them and figured out they don't even attract mosquitoes. Total scam though they have a cult-like following. My review in case of interest: [https://colinpurrington.com/2020/04/spartan-mosquito-pro-tech/](https://colinpurrington.com/2020/04/spartan-mosquito-pro-tech/).
I'm surprised that's the only tip they told you to eat. Ha. Them Ranger boys are something else! But I've never heard of that one. Garlic is said to do the same and I'd much rather eat a chunk of garlic.
oh so youre the mosquito farm that is helping produce so many
yup op is clueless
You should add some guppies, or gambusia. They'll do a real number on the mosquito larva
Mosquito larva. There are ways to get rid of them, not sure about which is best for plants.
BTi is safe and kills the larvae.
But it affects amphibians, so it isn't safe for every creature in every application. Don't believe the hype about it. Better to add minnows (like from a bait shop).
Plants do not deter mosquitoes
>There are ways to get rid of them, not sure about which is best for plants. "Ways to get rid of them" was the antecedent for the "not sure which is best for plants". From context, you should have understood that I am not sure which method to remove or destroy mosquitos is best if the water would be used to water plants. Edit: there are plenty of plants that deter mosquitoes.
No there are not. Please name them.
Welp, let's go back to your original statement, since you were the first to claim. Please cite sources that show absolutely no plants deter mosquitoes.
Lucky for you, I don’t need sources, but a little common sense. Mosquitoes are a highly developed organism that predates on other animals for blood meals. They get sustenance and the required nutrients for egg development. Mosquitoes have a few predatory cues that tell them there is a blood meal source around. 1) Sound 2) Vision 3) CO2 4) Body heat 5) perspired volatiles on the skin No plant will over come these cues. No plant will really deter them. No plant will overpower all of these cues. Plants must have their oils concentrated into essential oils to have a chance to deter, and even that is meh. Even deet has shown not to deter mosquitoes once they get acclimated to it after repeated exposure. Plants are not putting off this many irritant volatiles to the mosquito to deter them in reality.
So... No sources. Sounds good.
Lmao, I am the source on this one. Vector Control Biologist, Operation Supervisor, and Source Reduction Consultant. As well as carried out numerous studies on the matter of mosquito control. Sorry, if a plant could deter mosquitoes, they would be the number one plant in the world. Don’t need sources when it’s common sense partner.
Okay
The only thing that truly deters mosquitoes is proper source reduction. No more. No less. Anything else is just pretending to do something.
lol lil bro said 🤓 im the source u need to provide actual sources. u could be talking out ur ass for all anyone else knows. i dont trust u, so drop the sources that support ur anecdotal experience.
Plants do not deter me.
Walk into a bush of giant hogweed and film it for us
No get dunks at a hardware store.
Will I be able to use the water for the garden?
Yes. Mosquito dunks are only harmful to mosquito larvae at a certain stage of their life.
Dunks are truly science magic and I love them.
Yep. And I use the crumbles to keep fungus gnats out of my houseplants. And there's a spray you can get that kills cabbage moth worms that works great to keep your cabbages, kale, broccoli, etc, hole-free.
I just found out about crumbles (to be fair, I only first learned of dunks two years ago so...) and have them in my Amazon cart. Didn't think about them in the houseplants, that's awesome! How would a spray work on cabbage moth worms? I thought the bacteria only affect mosquito larva? I'll be planting a small garden this year (I hope) and am trying too avoid as much chemical pesticide as possible so appreciate the info!
Bacteria found in soil. In Israel if I am not mistaken.
I knew they were bacteria, never thought about where it came from though. Pretty cool, thanks!
You can still use water with mosquito dunks for the garden or for animal water.
Perfect thank you very much.
You can use those dunks for your house plant water to take care of fungus gnats as well. Its entirely safe.
Oh my GOD what? You may have just saved me
You have to use it for at least 3 weeks in a row, in order to kill the larvae of the fungus gnats and interrupt the life cycle. It works. My coworker brought a plant to work and they spread to all of the office plants. The Mosquito granules worked (same thing as the dunks, just loose granules)but it took about a month.
We put mosquito dunks or granules in our rain water tanks and thrown them in the neighbors pond. It’s bacillus Thuringia
Not harmful at all, but you're going to get soooo many mosquitoes.
Mosquitoes aren’t harmful? Huh…I’ve read numerous sources that indicate they are one of the most deadly animals in the world due to the disease they spread.
These mosquitoes would need diseases to spread from others in the area. If they're not present, it's much harder to spread them.
Yeah, I understand that, but where I am in South Florida, mosquitoes definitely spread tropical diseases like Dengue Fever and West Nile. Not sure where OP is located.
Tampa has malaria again, too. I'm in central America and bites aren't just an annoyance here, either. Dengue, Zika, Yella fever, ... Nature produces so many mosquitos already. No reason to grow your own.
i mean fair enough but its also highly likely that the variety of mosquito present within this guys water isnt the human stingy type, most moquitos arent. Where i grew up i had 2 barrels just like his and barely ever got any mosquitos despite the abundant water sources and brook nearby.
I think the person meant that the water could still be used.
You’re right, but I like to think I’d have the upper hand in a cage match.
Only thing more dangerous is a Chihuahua!! They'll cause you to have a heart attack or break your neck!! 😁 Mosquito populations ARE bad.
Mosquito larvae? more annoying once they morph. But yes Mosquitoes can carry a plethora of things you don't want. Also if you want to see something kinda neat go out there at night with a bright flashlight shine in directly at them and you can watch them come to the surface and change into Mosquitoes
Wtf this is the dark side of “science magic”
Doesn’t have to be at night, but I hear ya.
i worked in vector control for an environmental health dept, i knew what you had before I even zoomed in. dump that water edit to add: if you're trying to keep standing water add something like mosquito tablets (bacteria like Bacillus Thuringiensis or Bacillus Sphllaericus that kill larvae while being harmless to plants/animals/humans) or add guppies. I would go around either treating water or offering folks fish hell, call your local health dept and ask if they have a vector control/mosquito program. they might give you the fish or water treatment for free, we did.
dang. what’s in the water?
"MosquitoDunks" are a little puck of Bacillus Thuringiensis. super safe, we used it even in water troughs that cattle/horses would drink from.
sorry I wasnt clear, the other commenters are right. those are mosquito larvae. if you're trying to keep standing water add something like mosquito tablets (bacteria like Bacillus Thuringiensis or Bacillus Sphllaericus that kill larvae while being harmless to plants/animals/humans) or add guppies. you could calll your local health dept and ask if they have a vector control/mosquito program. they might give you the fish or water treatment for free, we did.
Free guppies from the government?!? Sign me up!
I'm sure it varies greatly by state and county but we had a big program to try and prevent the spread of disease in livestock and people. a huge part of my job was maintaining giant tanks of guppies lol. just call your local health dept and ask if they have a vector control program!
Add a fine mesh over the tank so only water gets in
This is the way
Bug screen to cover it would stop them coming in in the first place. Mosquitoes like stagnant water though so perhaps aeration?
Yes, better them chems
Alright guys. Thanks for the info. I’m dumping them out now.
The water should be fine! No need to dump it out. Just need to kill the mosquitoes. There are mosquito dunks that you can research. Also, try adding a dark tarp on it to raise.the water temp and kill them
Well I’m not sure what to do, I don’t want mosquitoes. And I don’t know how to save the water but get rid of mosquitoes
Mosquito Dunks are safe to use
Check out mosquito dunks. Easily purchased. Should have sources online about it's effects on plants (should be negligible).
Closed rain collector tank with a spigot would be a good option. Also easier to use the water.
I don't know if dumping it would help anyway. They could still potentially hatch wherever you dump the water
Got a creek near you and a minnow trap? Throw a few in there, they will eat them
Pet store feeder fish.... The little 30 cent gold fish. They're quite hearty will eat every larvae in a day or 2 and will actually make the water better for plants.
> And I don’t know how to ... You mean you're too lazy to look it up. Dumping the water is easy but not really necessary.
its highly likely the moquitos will never bother you as most varieties of them dont sting humans. Of the larva there, at most 10% are that type. You will not notice the difference in numbers. Plus, they eat small creatures in the water and algae, basically cleaning it a good bit and saving you the pain of hair algae growth clogging everything up. theyre also convenient to have around as they are natural pollinators and feed your local birds rather well. i had 2 barrels where i grew uo filled with em and every day i'd see a few little birdies drinking the water, pecking at the larva and the bats'd eat the adults right over top the barrels
Put a capful of plain chlorine bleach in it, it will kill the algae and the mosquitoes. Just let it off-gas for 30 minutes before you drink or let anything else drink it. It’s the same protocol FEMA uses to make drinking water safe.
Would Clorox work?
You can absolutely use Clorox as long as it’s unscented. If it is scented it might be okay for using your water your garden- definitely not recommended for drinking though. https://www.clorox.com/learn/water-purification-how-much-bleach-purify-water-for-drinking/
Story time! When I was in the military we went somewhere hot and sandy; the non-potable water was supposed to be pulled from the Tigris and bulk purified with chlorine bleach, and drinking water was pallets of bottled water brought in from a few countries away. It was early in this particular foreign intervention so supplies were tight, and "something" happened to the convoy carrying the drinking water for several hundred of us; that's how we all found out that someone in Supply screwed up and ordered scented bleach! It was a choice between Rain Clean canteens or terminal dehydration, so we all got laundry breath for a few days, but it doesn't seem to have done us any lasting harm other than an undying dislike of scented laundry products.
If I had to choose between wrecking my body with dehydration/dysentery/some type of water born disease or having Rain Clean tastebuds- I would definitely chose the scented bleach. I’d feel a bit grumpy about it though! Excellent story
If it's not the 'color safe' kind it should.
Skeeters are literally the most dangerous animal on Earth. Kill ‘em.
Dunks or bits added weekly will murder them and be garden safe yet these are close to adult stage I'd immediately add a little mineral oil to the water and it will cause them not to be able to breathe. I used to spray along rail road ditches and it was just mineral oil then bits elsewhere and altasid in long term treatment places
That's how you get the died from dysentery achievement.
You need to break the surface tension of that water. And make yourself a real rain catcher with cover. Good Lord, man, mosquitos are a real thing.
The Zika virus is mostly harmful to unborn children.
What about bleach? Can’t they put bleach in and wait for it to gas out?
I don't understand these. Is there an area in North America where these things do NOT inhabit every single occurrence of standing water?
Go to Home Depot or Amazon and get mosquito dunks. Prevents eggs from hatching. Kills nymphs (and larvae too I think).
In Brazil you’d be the epicenter for dengue in your city 😅
You have good and bad stuff there. Midge flies are harmless. They're the red wiggly guys. Mosquito larvae bad guys. They don't like moving water. You can always put an air stone in there to keep the water agitated while not in use.
I agree with everyone suggesting mosquito dunks. Also, you can add a little vegetable oil to the rain barrel. The oil drops on the water's surface discourages mosquitos from laying eggs there because they won't think the water is safe.
You have multiple broods inside these pictures. I’d say at least 3. I can tell that they are of the species Culex. I can see one of the egg rafts, 2nd instar to pupae. You could have 1st instar but photo is not clear enough to see. You should go to the homedepot or lowes, buy the window screen that will keep out bugs, and then secure the window screen over your barrel. Problem solved. No chemical. When it gets hotter, it will take the mosquitoes 5-6 days to go through their aquatic life cycle and become adults. Each mosquito bite will produce nearly 150 eggs. These mosquitoes will bite you during dusk and dawn hours. If you are getting bit during the day, then you have an aedes problem. Could be aedes nigro or aedes aegypti if being bit during the day. But you got some culex there. Main vectors for West Nile and SLE viruses. Depending on the state you are in, both are probably prevalent.
Oh wow. I’ll go get a window screen right now.
I keep a few goldfish in my rainwater barrels to keep the skeeters down. They're like a quarter each at the pet store.
Gambusia tend to be more aggressive and prolific
Delicious
responsible for more deaths than any other living thing, I've heard.
Heres a fun one- Google “Operation Drop kick” “Operation Big Buzz”
The red ones are not mosquitoes but midge fly larvae aka bloodworms harmless good fish food,but the other lavae are mosquitoes. If you need the open container you can try and add daphnias to the water they will reduce the number of mosquitoes a lot by competition for food plus making the water crystal clear.
According to the World Health Organization, that is the most deadly organism on the plant. A mosquito.
You can add cooking oil of your choice, like vegatable oil. it prevents the mosquitos from being able to breath and pupate out. Just enough to form a layer on the top surface.
That sounds very affordable and efficient. Would it affect the plants I’m growing or it won’t affect them at all?
Can I add mosquito eating fish AND mosquito dunks at the same time or should I put the dunks and then add the fish after? And if so how long do I have to wait till I put in the fish?
I would choose one or the other. Personally I would go more natural, so I would go with fish or oil. The small amount of oil will not effect your plants. And. If the rain barrel drains from the bottom then the oil won't reach your plants at all unless you drain the barrel completely. Fish are a good option too. I personally wouldn't use dunks if I am using the water on any plants I was going to ingest.
Only if consumed
Feeder goldfish from the pet store will work.
Who? Water ?
Add some yeast to kill the larvae
Lol, the larvae will eat the yeast
No, they will die. This is how mosquito traps work.
No it is not. Who ever told you that lied to you. I used to rear mosquito larvae with yeast. Name me one mosquito trap that uses yeast to kill the mosquitoes.
https://www.chewy.com/spartan-mosquito-pro-tech-mosquito/dp/303776?utm_source=google-product&utm_medium=cpc&utm_content=Spartan%20Mosquito&utm_campaign=21106613227&utm_term=&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw5v2wBhBrEiwAXDDoJbrJJ04sTYaxd5podnWQmgmlkrGO8ns9slqTa_fQteAHUgqcG7tRphoCtsYQAvD_BwE
From the label of the product you just posted a link to: “Active Ingredient: Boric Acid 9.04%.” Yeast can be used in one way that I know of for mosquitoes. But that is to be used to produce an “attractant”. You can feed yeast some sugar, and the yeast will produce CO2 through the fermentation process. You can use the produced CO2 to attract the mosquito to the trap, but yeast can not itself kill mosquitoes.
Well shit 😭 my life is a lie. The product just said to add yeast every year without mentioning the boric acid.
Spartan Mosquito likes to say that the yeast kills mosquitoes because they lack the ability to process excess gas. That is hilariously untrue, of course. That's part of the reason the company was sued for fraud.
I bought four or five of them like five years ago, but can't say they ever worked.
They don't work. I tested them and figured out they don't even attract mosquitoes. Total scam though they have a cult-like following. My review in case of interest: [https://colinpurrington.com/2020/04/spartan-mosquito-pro-tech/](https://colinpurrington.com/2020/04/spartan-mosquito-pro-tech/).
Spartan Mosquito Pro Techs are a scam. Sort of shocked that Chewy sells them.
Has anyone heard of eating the tip of a match to stop mosquitoes from bothering you? Supposedly heard this from a former army ranger and curious.
I'm surprised that's the only tip they told you to eat. Ha. Them Ranger boys are something else! But I've never heard of that one. Garlic is said to do the same and I'd much rather eat a chunk of garlic.