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Mosquito larva

  • Thread starter Buckmaster
  • Start date
The mosquitoes are taking advantange of the standing water in my sarr pot. There has been a mosquito population exposion around my house. Is there anything I can put in the water to kill the larva that won't harm my plants?
Thanks,
Buckmaster
 
Buckmaster, you could buy an aquatic badderwort. The species of misquito will determine the size and species of bladderwort you need to get. The bigger the mosquito larva, the bigger trap you need to catch it.
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Would U. vulgaris work? It has huge traps compared to most the aquatic Utricularia I grow..
 
I change the water out every few days to get rid of the larva.
 
Your Sarracenia pot would have to be massive for U. vulgaris. Maybe U. volubilis.
 
I think the bladderwort idea sounds good. Changing the water would be too expensive since I have to buy distilled water. Where can I get the species you suggested?
 
If there is room, try guppies. You can get feeder fish at the local fish store for cheap, or breed them yourself. I put a couple small ones, about 1/4" long, in a depression in my bog that is about 2 inches deep and about six inches in diameter. They need to be replaced every few months when they get too big, eating not only insect larve, but algae as well.

I am not sure about the Ultricularia handling this problem, but I think I will give it a try in an isolated bowl.
 
Ummm..... I did some looking and I didnt find it for retail. Try emailing some nurseries and before I'd do that try asking to trade on the Trading post or the Utricularia forum.
 
you can also add a drop of vegetable oil to the saucer, it will spread out into a very thin layer of oil, like a sheen, and when the larvae put their breathing tubes up through it, the oil clogs and kills.

Mosquitoe dunks also work, they are a bacteria that attacks the larvae, I believe they have been reported safe for CP use, but I have no first hand experience of confirmation, so be careful. (unless someone says go for it with experience)

Also, I don;t know if this is urban myth or something, but I have heard if you put a white plate out with some water in it, and a few drops of lemon fresh dawn, that mosquitoes will come to if like it's a puddle of blood, then fly away, and die feet fromt he plate. I am dubious of this, have never tried it, and can't say 'go for it' but if you have it all on hand, why not give it a whirl?

Finally, you can find these in Sam's clubs, and I am sure home depot and other places, it is probably the most expensive proposition. They are devices that release natural gas and somehow, this gas mimics the human body heat signature, and the little buggers just go for it, they work themselves into a trap, and die in the trap. You can then just dump the bodies, or maybe feed to your plants, if you want. I think they are several hundred dollars. I know that some states use this as mosquito control it was used here on a grand scale *hundreds of machines near a really wet area* and the resulting skeeter slaughter had to actually have staff on hand to empty the dead carcases from the baskets. it was a west nile area I think.
 
  • #10
rampuppy , thanks , that was very informative since i also have a problem with mosquitos in the summer .
 
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