Mosquito larvae

[paulpensom]

Hello,

Can you help me with mosquito larvae. This is my first post on this forum and I need to work out what to do with larvae from moquitoes in the garden. I've just dug a small pond (about a metre and a half by a metre) which has become immediately colonised by hundreds of mosquito larvae. I am reluctant to introduce fish to predate upon them since I want this to be a wildlife pond, and don't want to endanger the newts which are in the garden.

I have no tadpoles yet, though I have seen a frog visiting the pond at night. Should I simply tolerate the clouds of mosquitoes, which will inevitably descend on the house this summer, and hope for tadpoles to control them next year, or is there another option?

Paul

[Kayleigh]

Hi and welcome paulpensom,

You have to have prey/insects there to attract the predators. So leave well alone. I got newts breeding the first season I had my pond. Be patient and wait to see what turns up.

[paulpensom]

Thanks. Citronella candles at the ready then…

[Bouncytigger]

Originally Posted by paulpensom

Hello, this is my first post on this forum. I've just dug a small pond (about a metre and a half by a metre) which has become immediately colonised by hundreds of mosquito larvae. I am reluctant to introduce fish to predate upon them since I want this to be a wildlife pond, and don't want to endanger the newts which are in the garden.

I have no tadpoles yet, though I have seen a frog visiting the pond at night. Should I simply tolerate the clouds of mosquitoes, which will inevitably descend on the house this summer, and hope for tadpoles to control them next year, or is there another option?

Paul

The very Same thing happened in my wildlife pond last year , which was it's first year as well.

But this years i've hardly had any larvae at all?
Whether its anything to do with what they call NEW POND SYNDROME i don't know?

Now that the plants are all goin beserk things seemed to have settled on the OLD MOZZIE front

[paulpensom]

Yes, I'm hoping that the newt tadpoles are feasting on them as we speak.

[full moon]

Same thing happened to me and I had lots of mosquito larvae within a couple of weeks. I think this is just one of the first stages in the pond establishing itself. 2 years on, I have frogs, newts, pondskaters, damselflies and am surrounded by concrete in the middle of a big town. I don't notice the mosquitos now and am not sure if they are ther or not. sit back and enjoy

[Bouncytigger]

Originally Posted by full moon

Same thing happened to me and I had lots of mosquito larvae within a couple of weeks. I think this is just one of the first stages in the pond establishing itself. 2 years on, I have frogs, newts, pondskaters, damselflies and am surrounded by concrete in the middle of a big town. I don't notice the mosquitos now and am not sure if they are ther or not. sit back and enjoy

I'm always amazed how wildlife finds its way round a concrete jungle

Better than us humans most of the time

[chrisharden]

Hi
I have the same issues with mosquito larvae in a new wildlife pond. I also have another ornamental pond with gold fish. Would it be OK for a couple of gold fish to have a little holiday in the wildlife pond for say a weekend to clear a load of the larvae; I don't fancy them all hatching out anytime soon.
Thanks for any comments
Chris

[Kayleigh]

Originally Posted by chrisharden

Hi
I have the same issues with mosquito larvae in a new wildlife pond. I also have another ornamental pond with gold fish. Would it be OK for a couple of gold fish to have a little holiday in the wildlife pond for say a weekend to clear a load of the larvae; I don't fancy them all hatching out anytime soon.
Thanks for any comments
Chris

Predators will move in if you give them time.