Please tell us in the comments—we’re listening.When you increase the oxygen content of your water, the momma mosquitoes no longer want to lay their eggs in that area of the water. Never use vector control products in your ponds or pools to get rid of mosquitoes—just ignore them … Is your pond attractive to those gorgeous shimmery-winged demons? Better invest in a big ol’ dragonfly-swatter… or they will literally gobble up that darling swarm of mosquitoes faster than you can say, buzz off!“Dragonfly larvae, ‘nymphs,’ feed on mosquito larvae, and adult dragonflies feed on adult mosquitoes. Mosquito fish can eat mosquito larvae as fast as the larvae hatch from eggs, as many as 100 per day.”So let me get this straight: they’re easy to maintain, they are wildly effective, and they’re hardy in most climates… sounds like a no-brainer as a method for naturally removing mosquitoes from your pond.If you love your summer nights filled with bites, swats, and potential viruses by all means—follow our pro tips right here in this post!Have questions? With all this talk about Zika, we know what you’re thinking…“I gotta get me some mosquitoes in my backyard pond—STAT! Mosquitoes, to put it bluntly and perhaps mildly, are no more than pests to humans, with their characteristic springtime and summertime bites causing pain, itching and swelling in most people. Clearly, this is limited to the mosquito's larval stage, which takes place in fresh water.
!”(Because we know how much you love those flying critters. “Mosquito fish do not lay eggs, but rather give birth to live young. These fish, therefore, require no special environment, as most other fish do, for depositing and hatching their eggs. Usually, these predators eat mosquitoes at both the adult and aquatic (larval) stages.Purple martins are probably the birds most famed for dining on mosquitoes, with various erroneous Internet claims placing their consumption at levels many times higher than it actually is. (Said no one ever! To breathe, the larvae suspend themselves at the surface of the water with a breathing tube or siphon. If you want to learn more, please read our article on the One of the most effective ways is the Mosquito fish, which has been used in California since 1922. The key to attracting dragonflies is to provide an environment that is comfortable and safe for them.”A small pond with marginal and bog plants growing with plenty of flat rocks should do just fine. They are ready to begin the work of destroying mosquito larvae at once.
Oftentimes when we head to their backyard to check-out their handiwork, we’re surprised by the amount of mosquitoes plaguing their beautiful oasis. Goldfish, guppies, bass, bluegill and catfish all prey on mosquito larvae to some extent.One type of turtle, the red-eared slider, has been used to some effect to control mosquito larvae populations in Honduras.Tadpoles and adult frogs are reported by some sources to eat a lot of mosquitoes and their larvae, but in truth, only the spade foot toad, green tree frog and giant tree frog do this in significant numbers.We may not be able to depend on other animals to rid us of these pesky insects but mosquitoes are nonetheless food for a variety of creatures.Kevin Beck holds a bachelor's degree in physics with minors in math and chemistry from the University of Vermont. Fortunately (for mosquito-haters), dragonfly larvae actually feed on mosquito larvae when they can, to the extent that dragonflies do most of their predatory damage to mosquitoes before either insect is even close to mature.A common nickname for dragonflies, "mosquito hawks," is not really warranted in the sense that dragonfly predation does little to reduce mosquito numbers. Mosquitoes, to put it bluntly and perhaps mildly, are no more than pests to humans, with their characteristic springtime and summertime bites causing pain, itching and swelling in most people. The larva will live in the water for about 10 days eating tiny plants and animals. What gives?Ah, mosquitoes love water.