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Controlling mosquitoes is a big job, but a widely available, inexpensive product called a mosquito dunk can make it a lot easier. A mosquito sting looks flat, donut-shaped, and cookie-like, and it doesn’t actually repel mosquitoes—in fact, it attracts them. The stingray sits in stagnant water, where mosquitoes congregate to lay eggs. To kill the hatching larvae, it releases the toxic bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bti). Fewer surviving larvae means fewer adult mosquitoes to bother you, so, in the long run, a sting is as good as any repellent.
BTI is a benign organism, harmless to anything except the larvae of mosquitoes, black flies and other dipteran species, so you don’t have to worry about harming bees, butterflies, fish. Other beneficial wildlife you want in your garden. However, it won’t even harm adult mosquitoes, which means you’ll have to wait for them to die before you notice any difference in the bug population. In other words, dunks aren’t a quick fix to the current mosquito problem — but they’re useful if you think ahead and set up traps early in the season.
How to get the most out of mosquito bites
One of the first steps in mosquito control is to eliminate stagnant or any pools There is standing water in your yardBecause it can become a breeding ground for these bugs. If you look around, you’ll be surprised at how much standing water you find: it can collect around, in open jars, on tarps, and inside toys left in old buckets. Water at the base of potted plants also attracts mosquitoes.
You may need to use Drainage solutions to get rid of standing waterBut you also want to leave some places where you can bait with mosquito bites. A birdbath or fish pond is a good place to dunk, as Bti will not harm birds or fish. Alternatively, you can fill a 5-gallon bucket with water, leaves, and sticks to create a “Doom of Doom” for flying insects. Place a dunk in each and cover them with a large mesh screen to keep pets out.
You don’t have to use a full dunk for it to be effective; If you break it into pieces, you’ll have more to go around, and you’ll be able to set more traps. And the more you set, the more mosquitoes you prevent from growing into adulthood. Dunks are effective for about 30 days, so try making them part of your monthly routine – it’ll be a great step towards a mosquito-free summer.
