How To Ensure Mosquitoes Are Not A Problem in any Garden Pond

How To Ensure Mosquitoes Are Not A Problem in any Garden Pond

For readers in the Northern Hemisphere this article comes a little bit late but on the other hand is just in time for people like me in South Africa and my many readers in Australia, New Zealand and other places just entering Spring-time. IT will also be an excellent reference for new pond builders who may just be a little bit scared of inviting mosquitoes to their backyard pond areas.

In short don't let the thought of a fishpond becoming a mosquito breeding ground worry you because it won't. Better still reads this article by mosquito warrior Scottie based in Portland Oregon who kindly prepared this article for my readers.

Fish in general (not just mosquito fish) in a garden or koi pond eat mosquito larvae and mosquitoes do not lay eggs in moving water

MOSQUITO FARMS? IS THAT WHAT WATER GARDENS ARE? ... DEFINITELY NOT says Scottie Johnson. Read her article here .....

What is nicer than a lovely backyard garden pond. The lush growth rising above the water, graceful fish darting about and the soothing sound of the water. These are just a few of the reasons people are drawn to water gardens.

But when you think about adding a water feature to your garden, you are torn, because you know that a charming pond can also be a mosquito hatchery. And, everyone is concerned; rightly, about mosquitoes and the diseases they spread. It is true, mosquitoes do need water to breed, but at the same time, there are so many effective ways to prevent mosquitoes from breeding in ponds, you should not let that stop you. Water gardeners are in a unique position; they can have wet spaces that can actually help stop mosquitoes from breeding.

Just a few simple precautions are all you need to feel safe and enjoy such a wonderful addition to the landscape.

If you have a water garden, or want one, try these suggestions.

Have moving water in your water garden. Mosquitoes will not lay eggs in running water. The newly hatched mosquito must rest on the waters surface for a few minutes to let its wings dry. If the water is moving, the female mosquito will not lay eggs there.

Get some mosquito fish for your pond. Mosquito fish, or gambusia affinislt;, are very aggressive predators of mosquito larvae. They are also aggressive to other fish and will also eat dragonfly larvae, or nymphs. If mosquito fish are too predatory for your particular tastes, several other types of fish readily consume mosquito larvae, such as guppies, killifish, and small goldfish. Koi are too large and will not target the larvae.

Add Bti to your pond. Bti is a naturally occurring type of bacillus that is eaten by the mosquito larvae, and rapidly kills them. It is not harmful to fish, pets, wildlife or humans. It is sold under such names as Mosquito Dunks, or Mosquito Bits.

Add dragonfly larvae, or nymphs, to your pond. They are voracious predators of mosquito larvae, and while the mosquito larvae stay in that stage for only a few days, the dragonfly nymphs stay in the larval stage for up to two years, and can prey on many generations of mosquito larvae. And, when they become adults, the dragonfly feeds on adult mosquitoes too.

Invite toads into your yard. One toad can consume up to 100 mosquitoes and slugs per night. They lay their eggs in water, so the pond will attract them. If happy with its environment, a toad can grace your garden for up to 20 years. And the tadpoles will eat mosquito larvae also.

As an overall precaution, get a propane powered mosquito trap, such as the Mosquito Magnet, to reduce the mosquito population in your garden area. These are the most effective mosquito killers around, and they will capture (and kill) the mosquitoes that your natural controls miss.

With the growing concern about mosquito diseases, like West Nile virus, malaria, and dengue fever, it is natural to feel reluctance to add any water source around your home. With the right precautions, you can beautify your garden and still feel secure that you are not inviting mosquitoes into your immediate environment.

If water gardening appeals to you, just educate yourself, take the needed precautions, and get ready to enjoy the beauty and serenity a water feature adds to your home.

Scottie Johnson is a life long mosquito warrior and freelance author. For more detailed information about mosquito kill and having a mosquito free life, please visit her website at www.mosquito-kill-net.com

Copyright 2004, all rights reserved. This article may be duplicated for use provided all biographical information and web links are preserved.

Getting ready for winter in cold areas and putting the pond to bed until Spring

By far the best article I have read on winter preparations was written by Peter J May (the Perfect Pond Detective ... see one of his books here  http://www.perfect-pond-detective.com/perfectpondrecipe.html ). I trundle this unbeatable article out every year about this time

PUTTING THE WATER GARDEN TO BED FOR WINTER - by Peter J May

This is the season of our discontent, us poor water gardeners. The registered temperature slowly crawls down the thermometer and the world of the water garden slows to slumbering. With only a gradual change it is hard to know precisely what to do and when to do it, but certain pool events are a definite indication that the time has come to put the pool to bed for the winter months.

PUTTING THE PLANTS IN ORDER

With the diminishing hours of daylight and the reducing temperature, the plants in and around the pond have decided to call it the end of the season. Amongst the Marginals, the fleshy stemmed and thick leaved plants like the Marsh Marigolds (Caltha palustris and varieties) may have succumbed weeks before the real cold comes, preferring an early rise at the dawn of spring. These will need cutting back to the crown of the plants.

Any exotics like Canna hybrids lilies should have been removed at the end of September, and planted in ordinary compost and kept in a frost-free green house. Arum Lilies can either be settled deep in the pool or alternatively over wintered in pots in a greenhouse. Gone are the days when we would plunge the pots into clinker beds in cold frames along with the dark leaved Lobelia cardinalis in trays. With the current spate of mild winters in the south, gardeners find that as long as the plants are in large enough groups, they survive quite happily outside.

 Some of the thin sword shaped leaved rushes and reeds will still seem very much in their element, perhaps acquiring attractive russets that subtly flash changes as the autumn winds rock the swathes of plants en masse. It is always a dilemma in cutting these back, as the movement from these grassy plants lends life to a scene that is otherwise dormant.

For small water gardens it perhaps wiser to at least cut off the seed heads before they shed, since all these marsh reeds and rushes carry an armoury of seed to perpetuate their species, scattering them on the wind to all four corners of your water world. In the water garden that is a wildlife haven, the remaining standing leaves will keep a cover for the ingress and exit of insomniac amphibians and thirsty mammals, but unfortunately will also serve as hide for herons. If you have to net your pond against the autumn fall, cut them back to one third. The net will then double as a heron deterrent.

Floaters. A sure sign that winter is on its way is when the floating Water Soldier (Stratiotes aliodes) and the Frogbit (Hydrocharis Morsus Ranae) sink out of sight. Frogbit will lie as winter buds on the bottom of the pool. Rescue it if you have a mind for a thorough clearout of the pool. Mid October was best for this, as the water was still warm and the drowsy wildlife would recover before the cooler temperatures really affected the water. Other floaters may need to be taken indoors.

Some floating plants that will definitely need some tender loving care:

• Water Chestnut (Trapa natans) ....This dies back to leave spiny edible fruits, if it has been a good summer. Do not let them dry out at any time. They should be sown in pans of loam underwater from April-May. Heat to 18-21c until germination then grow them unheated. But dont let the temperature drop below 7c.
• Water Lettuce (Pistia stratiotes) ... If there are any off shoots, separate them from the parent plant and float in shallow water at above 7c.
• Water Hyacinth (Eichornia crassipes) ... South Africans and Florida folk are amazed we should want to preserve this plant, but it has a beautiful flower and will help to keep algae at bay. It can be planted into loam or compost in a frost-free greenhouse. Alternatively float in shallow trays of water. Over winter at over 10c.
• Fairy Moss (Azolla filiculoides) ... This succumbs to hard winter frosts, when it turns bright red before disappearing. Many people would be glad to see the end of it in their pools, but if you want to overwinter it, it should be easy enough in a bucket in any frost free, light environment.
• The lilies, if they are still struggling on through October, their leaves will be looking diseased and mottled. If you can reach any of the worst leaves, give them a gentle tug to rescue them from rotting in the bottom the pool. Every little helps in preventing the build of detritus in the bottom of the pool. The lilies themselves want as little disturbance as possible until late spring.

POND PUMPS ... Remove any submersible pumps for waterfalls or filters to give them a thorough clean and overhaul, even gently scouring away any build up of lime or silt on fins and bearing surfaces. Put the pump back at a level less than 30cm(1ft) below the surface so that only the surface water is in the cyclical flow of water in the pool. This is so that the water at the bottom of the pool, if left undisturbed, is more likely to remain at a more even temperature. The pumps can be left in operation until it gets really cold, but there will be very little biological activity from a biological filter cooler than 10C (45F). If there is any chance of freezing, shut it all down and drain the filter box. You ought to start from scratch in the spring.

POND BIO FILTER ... If you have not looked already the filter is in need of a major service. The Ultra Violet clarifier needs cleaning too if you have one.  The filter needs back flushing if you have that facility, otherwise scoop out the medium and rinse it in pond water or rainwater to flush out the worst of the muck. It does not need to be spotlessly clean, but check the chamber in the base because if the system has been overloaded at some time in the summer the evidence will be there to see. Scoop out this mess and rinse with pond or rainwater water. The filter will continue to operate mechanically at all temperatures above freezing but there is little point in using the U/V unless the temperature of the water rises well past 10C (45F). If this is likely then many U/V clarifier manufacturers advise you fit new a bulb. If it freezes, drain the filter and start again in the spring as though from scratch.

GET NETTED ... If you have not got a biological filter, then all the microbial activity that happens in biological filters has to happen in the bottom of the pool. All the muck that falls has to be digested by bacteria down there. But with the advent of winter this activity slows right down at a time of year when the potential load is increased by falling autumn leaves. This has to be cut to a minimum.

First, any leaves that have found their way in to the pool need to be dredged out with a net. Leave the resulting muck to drain away on the side of the pool for 24 hours. This will give time for any wildlife you have accidentally scooped up in it to make its way back into the pool.

Serious fish keepers suggest a partial water change of about a third of the water if it has been a hot summer. This will dilute any concentrated soluble salts that may have built up through evaporation. Treat any fresh tap water with proprietary pool conditioner.

If the pool is small enough, cover the water with a net. Stretchy nets that can pegged or held in place by bricks or stones can be obtained from your nearest aquatic store. If the net sags into the water, support it with long battens of wood or even a ladder.

POND FISH ... If there are any particularly fancy fish, like fantails or bubble eyes, that may have difficulty competing in an environment with bigger more robust fish, contemplate keeping them in a tank indoors over winter.

Koi keepers know that fish will still come to be fed, if feeding is a routine, way past the temperature at which they are capable of digesting food. Being cold-blooded animals their systems can only summon enough reserves to digest very low protein foods between about 10C (50F) and 7C (45F). So only feed a little winter feed or maybe a wheat germ based food two or three times a week. Below that temperature, feed nothing at all. As the temperature of water in the pool drops to around 5 C (41F) the fish begin to hibernate. Arm yourself with a thermometer that will register these temperatures accurately so you wont have to guess what is going on.

AS WATER TURNS TO ICE ... Something very strange happens to water at 4C (39F). Instead of warmer less dense water being at the surface, as in the summer, the density changes and the water that is closest to freezing becomes the least dense and floats to the top. The result is that the bottom stays at a fairly steady temperature under a blanket of cold or frozen water.

If the pool freezes, there is nothing to worry about for a few days. There is plenty of oxygen in cold water even if the fish needed it. But if there is any rotting matter in the bottom of the pool, toxic gases produced in the muck could build up. In order to maintain gaseous exchange between the water and the air, float a ball or a piece of wood in the pool. A pool heater is the most effective method of maintaining an air hole. But even in recent years, I have seen these frozen into ponds.

End of article

Click this link to go to site that offers many different heaters type heaters into search box that you will see and you will find a lot of information on installation and specifications. The information you will find will show you installation diagrams that will explain exactly what is required.

De-Icers for ponds (even patio and indoor ponds)

These of course are far more simple and low cost devices and can be viewed and explored at the same site ... ie click here . One of the models offered reads as follows and this will give you an idea as to how they work.

Heats the water, keeps open an ice-free area of approximately 30" in diameter at minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Thermostatically controlled, which shuts off at 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Heavy-duty float will not rust, corrode or leak. Special 10" heating element. 6' heavy duty grounded wire. If tank runs dry, heating element will not burn out. Individually packed. 120 AC voltage.