I’m thinking about putting a pond by the garden in my parent’s back yard. Nothing big, maybe 10x5x2 max to start. But they’re don’t want to be the neighorhood breeding for mosquitoes, and have stipulated that it can’t just be standing water. I could handle digging the hole and putting in a liner, but have no idea how pumps work. What’s the best way to go about doing this? A waterfall leading to the garden, or a fountain in the middle? I don’t want to wire the pump to the house, and don’t have any outdoor plugs. Are there any little solar panels I can use, maybe with a submerged battery? How much does a pump and associated equipment (like the solar cells) cost?
There’s a bacteria which is commonly referred to as BT, you can buy what looks like a donut that’s filled with the stuff, drop it into the water, and the bateria takes care of any mosquito larva in the water.
Tuckerfan is correct. Bacillus Thurengiensis is harmless to humans and pets, but it puts the brakes on the digestive system of larval insects. It also works on lawn grubs and tomato hornworms.
Just as easy is to add a few small fish who’ll eat all the larvae of pretty much anything that breeds in water. There are even guppy-sized fish called mosquito fish, though pretty much any cyprinid (and most other fish) will do the same; larval insects make up the bulk of most FW fishes’ diets in the wild. This comes from years of keeping ponds… I even have one specifically to grow larval mosquitos and daphnia in, and trust me if you throw in even one fish in a 100 gallon pond your live food culture will be gone within a week. Fish, especially smaller ones, are very effective at eating bugs.
To keep mosquitos out the water surface would have to be pretty turbulant (not just a simple air bubbler), and keep in mind I’ve seen mosquito larvae growing in upturned bottle caps! Your best bet is some form of chemical or biological control rather than a physical barrier.
In my experience mosquito dunks are ineffective. They drop BTI straight down the water column, which limits its effectiveness. If you do use mosquito dunks crumble them up and evenly spread the granules.
Zodiac Pet Care Products has come out with a new product, “Preventative Mosquito Control.” This product contains Methoprene, an insect growth regulator. Methoprene won’t kill the mosquito larvae, but will prevent them from becoming an adult. It’s also safe for fish and last about a month.
I also agree with mmmiiikkkeee about gambusia (the mosquito fish) eating mosquito larvae. If you do prefer to you fish, limit your aquatic vegetation and algae. Some mosquito larvae can attach to the stems of plants obtaining their oxygen and nutrients from the plant, rendering BTI useless.
Sorry I can’t help with your pump concerns
you have to be careful with setting up any sort of pump. Unless you do it right, all sorts of badness can occur (anything from shorting out electical wiring to pumping all the water out of the pond.)
If you do decide to go with a moving water feature, there are all sorts of things you can do. Check with any reasonably sized gardening center. They usually always have a water garden area, with informative pamphlets about what you’ll need, etc. I recommend that once you have the information you need, check out aquarium stores for the pumps though. THey tend to be cheaper than at garden centers. If you want an idea of pricing check these guys out. www.bigalsonline.com They have a full range of outdoor pond pumps/filters/etc.
I should mention that just having a waterfall, or somesuch, won’t really stop mosquito larvae. If that’s your concern, go with the fish or chemicals. Much more effective and lots cheaper. (water pumps can get pretty darn expensive!)
Darn it, I just posted a long post about mosquitofish use in the US and the hamsters had it for lunch. anyway, to repeat the part you really need. Go to your local bait store that supplies freshwater fishermen and buy some fathead minnows. Make sure they are fatheads, not shiners or suckers. Call ahead, they should know what species they are selling. Shiners and suckers are not nearly as hardy as fatheads. Some really small goldfish might also do, but they will grow and might root up your vegetation some. Fatheads are better consumers of floating mosquito egg cases than goldfish, too.
Fatheads are as tolerant of low dissolved oxygen as mosquitofish and will survive both hot and cold temperatures. They are native to most of the US and have already been introduced by fishermen into nearly every other waterbody in the country. They have not generally been an invasive nuisance. The only real advantage to you that mosquitofish would have over fatheads is that they are livebearers and more likely to pull off reproduction on their own. But fatheads are cheap. You can restock easily.