How to get rid of mosquito larvae?

[pondgirl09]

Hey, new here! We made a small wildlife pond in my allotment a few weeks ago and its now absolutely FULL of mosquito larvae. We don't have any fish and haven't seen much else in the pond in terms of wildlife so don't think we have any other natural predators yet.
Anyone have any advice for the best way to get rid of (or reduce at least) the amount of mosquito larvae in a way that won't damage other wildlife or water quality?
Long term thinking we need to get more oxygenating plants but looking for some short term fixes so we don't fill the allotment with mozzies. Scooping with a fish net is not enough 😪

 

[tam]

You could try disturbing the water surface with a small solar pump they are about £12. They like still water so that may help. I think you can get water treatments too but I've never used them.

 

[Hanuman]

Are you not planning to have fish? They will eat those in no time.
Else as stated by Tam you would need to create some water movement and disturb the surface.

 

[IrvineHimself]

Are you not planning to have fish? They will eat those in no time.

I agree completely, Having spent over thirty years travelling, I spent many years in countries where mosquitoes are endemic. Goldfish are excellent for mosquito control and quickly become established. My old "belle grande mère" had a large concrete rain tank for the garden which had a crack. When I started to drain it for repair, I found a 60 year colony of goldfish that everyone had forgotten about, but were thriving on a diet of algae, detritus and mosquito larvae.

you can get water treatments too but I've never used them

Unless you live in an area with endemic malaria, most of these get banned really quickly. They are absolutely lethal for aquatic life and generally cause more problems than they solve.

absolutely FULL of mosquito larvae.

I live in Edinburgh, are you sure they are mosquito larvae? The whole idea of a wild life pond is to provide habit for insects. This is why [in the Uk] they recommend against putting stickle-backs, minnows, gold fish/carp ..... et al in wild-life ponds.

From the RHS

Fish – these are top predators in a garden pond, reducing biodiversity, and they also rasie nutrient levels, which encourages algae and blanketweed. So if you’ve inherited a pond with lots of fish, perhaps re-home them to another fish pond or make a new wildlife pond elsewhere in your garden.

 

[AlecF]

My fish in Newhaven would love your mosquito larvae! Get a few medaka, your problem will soon be solved. I have a bucket in the garden that gathers a few, but never enough. They are my fishes delight.

 

[Tim Harrison]

In areas where malaria was epidemic like Singapore, stagnant standing water bodies like your pond were outlawed. Even a bucket of water or small puddle would fetch a hefty fine for the transgressor.

It was this and a whole host other measures, aimed at controlling the vectors, mosquitoes, that effectively wiped out the disease. I think the introduction of rice fish also had a significant impact, for example.

There maybe one or two solutions to your problem in the info below. Although genetic modification and the introduction of sterile males might be a little beyond the average persons capability.

CDC - Malaria - Malaria Worldwide - How Can Malaria Cases and Deaths Be Reduced? - Larval Control and Other Vector Control Interventions

Information on vector control interventions used to reduce malaria's impact including larval control and other vector control interventions.

www.cdc.gov

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

We made a small wildlife pond in my allotment a few weeks ago and its now absolutely FULL of mosquito larvae. We don't have any fish and haven't seen much else in the pond in terms of wildlife so don't think we have any other natural predators yet.

It is just because the pond is new.

Mosquitoes are incredibly good at finding ephemeral water bodies, but you don't find them in established ponds etc. As the others have said <"mosquito larvae are caviar"> for most fish <"https://cdn.buglife.org.uk/2019/07/Bug-friendly-ponds.pdf">

Unless you live in an area with endemic malaria, most of these get banned really quickly. They are absolutely lethal for aquatic life and generally cause more problems than they solve.

I live in Edinburgh, are you sure they are mosquito larvae? The whole idea of a wild life pond is to provide habit for insects. This is why [in the Uk] they recommend against putting stickle-backs, minnows, gold fish/carp ..... et al in wild-life ponds.

If you don't want fish (and they aren't really compatible with wildlife ponds) you can just wait. All sorts of flying insects will find your pond and their larvae will mean that this is a very short lived "problem".

I agree with @IrvineHimself and I actually don't think it is a problem in the UK. Mosquitoes are an important food source for all sorts of other organisms, birds like Swallows, Bats, Damselflies, they are pollinators etc. <"What Purpose do Mosquitoes Serve? • The National Wildlife Federation Blog">

cheers Darrel

 

[pondgirl09]

Thanks for the responses everyone! Planning to avoid fish because holding out for frogs in the future.

I live in Edinburgh, are you sure they are mosquito larvae?

Definitely mosquito larvae. We would be happy to let them be but there's soooo many - thousands!

Read online that as well as a pump, more oxygenating plants could help so ordered some starwort and oxygenating weeds.

 

[OllieTY]

A solution ( and a great excuse for another aquarium) is to keep something like white cloud mountain minnows out in the pond during the season where mosquitoes are breeding. Then bring then home for the winter and enjoy the fish from home!

 

[AlecF]

Still so tempted to come and take these off you, my Inca Apistos would swoon.