Mosquito Problem

[koiloco]

Hi guys,

I live in San Jose, CA.

Lately, I've had mosquito problem in my settling tank.

It's not covered at all.

It's getting annoying and with this West Nile thing, I just want to be careful because my son plays in the backyard a lot.

Do you guys have the same problem?
What is a good solution?
I found this on fancykoioutlet.com

MICROBE-LIFT / LIQUID
BIOLOGICAL MOSQUITO CONTROL

Anybody has used this stuff yet?

Please share your advise.

Thanks

[mulberryjen]

Hi, Koiloco,
I have not tried the Microbe-lift product, but have used the little donut-shaped mosquito dunks before. DH's cousin and wife came over and were concerned about west nile b/c they had a toddler - so I dropped some in the settling tank & pond. Fish pretty much eat any larva in the pond, but can't get to tank. They are an all natural enzyme product that supposedly inhibits larvae ability to feed so they die, but doesn't really hurt anything else. Someone correct me if I have gotten that garbled up, that is the way I remember it from last year. One donut treats about 100 sq. ft of water surface. They have worked OK for me in KY. Package states that they are safe for food fish, so I figured OK. Also, readily available at hardware stores and cheap.

Maybe someone has tried the Microbe-lift and it is better solution, however.

[koiloco]

Thanks Jen!

Where are all my local experts??? I need some help here.

[delaney]

I live north of you on the Peninsula...same bad mosquito problem from all the rain we had this year.

I bought a Mosquito Magnet machine...it's been up and running for a couple months now. No more mosquito problem in the entire backyard any more...these things really work!

[koiloco]

Can You Tell Me What Brand You Bought

And How Much? Thanks

[bekko]

The Bacillis stuff will not directly harm the fish. However, it will change the pond ecosystem - if you have one. For example, the midge larvae which your koi suck off the pond bottom and sides will no longer be there.

An alternative could be to put a few tropical fish in the settling tank to eat the mosquito larvae. Angelfish are cheap and will not reproduce in that setting.

-steve hopkins

[MikeM]

Or, a half dozen male guppies.

[dick benbow]

I quess I'm just too cautious but I'm with Steve and Mike on this one. I hate to add any chemicals to my pond. There is a tiny fish called a mosquito fish that can be used to eat the larvae or others as they suggest.

[delaney]

Quote: Originally Posted by koiloco Can You Tell Me What Brand You Bought And How Much? Thanks

I bought the smallest model, the full name is Mosquito Magnet Defender. Got it on eBay for about $220. You also need a propane tank (doesn't come with the machine). It converts propane to carbon dioxide, and along with some attractant called octenol, it lures mosquitos near and sucks them into a net trap.

The consumables aren't cheap, you go through a propane tank every three weeks, also change the attractant.

It caught a lot of mosquitos the first month, now there are very few left in the yard. This area is semi-rural with very heavy mosquito populations. I don't even put on repellent any more when I go out by the pond in the evening.

Mosquito fish didn't work for me, my koi hunted them to extinction over the winter!

[dcny]

There are also non-propane solutions available like this one.

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product...pnav=&cat=&s=1


-Dan