We're back to hot and sunny again, after many days of rain, and the mosquitoes are elbowing the blackflies aside to get to the local blood supply a millisecond faster. I'm watching the water trough and the wilds basin closely for signs of wrigglers, because that's when I start emptying them completely and refilling every day instead of just topping them up if the remaining water looks clean.
Speaking of water and mosquitoes...have you ever tried the mosquito "dunks" designed to be placed in water to keep wrigglers from growing up? Supposedly harmless to every other lifeform?
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| (Photograph from Chewy.com) |
Here's the product info, condensed:
For use in any standing water including rain barrels, bird baths, koi ponds, tree holes, stock tanks, planter reservoirs and rain gutters. Each dunk covers up to 100 square feet of water, regardless of depth for 30 days or more; for less water a portion can be used.
Deadly to mosquito larvae but harmless to other living things with the active ingredient Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bti). When females lay their eggs in water treated with the dunks, the larvae will hatch and eat the bacterium.
I bought a packet in hopes of reducing the mosquito population in the Pocket Paddock, which is adjacent to my tiny wetland. The goats can't browse there for more than very short periods of time, because the hordes of biting bugs are unbearable. Unfortunately, it's also the best mixed browse on my property - a variety of herbaceous plants and also shrubby stuff like bittersweet; the things goat love, and which are very good for them. I'd love to be able to put the herd down there for half-days, without having to first spray them with bug stuff which we all hate.
The plan is to place a "donut" at the upslope end of the little drainage into my puddle. Today would have been an excellent day to do that, but an innate resistance to tinkering with a biological system has kept me from going forward. This sort of thing has always been a tough decision for me, personally and professionally, in part because the "cons" of such tinkering are so often nebulous beforehand and sometimes downright regrettable in hindsight. So I would love to hear from anyone who has used this or a similar product, or anyone who can speak to the biochemical safety - or risk - of this approach.
Meanwhile, now that it's hot again I am back to shaking up a daily jug of ayran - just plain yogurt, water, and salt - to enjoy in the heat of the afternoon. Such a refreshing beverage! If you make your own yogurt, it's also a great way to use a batch that didn't thicken as much as expected. This year I may even be able to add fresh mint to the ayran, as I am trying again to grow a supply of mints, both from seeds (again) and also from gifted plants (again). Is it beyond belief that mints, which always come with a "Will Take Over" warning, have a hard time establishing here? Many years ago there was spearmint growing wild right next to the house, but that went the way of the hens and I've never managed to coax it into settlement anywhere else. Not giving up though!
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I never heard of a location where mint didn't take over. Now I have. I've seen those ring things in koi ponds, so I suppose they're OK. But I'd hesitate, even so.
ReplyDeleteWe haven't used the mosquito dunks either. Our only standing water is a 10-gallon tub (part of a recirculating bird bath), and we do as you do - empty it every couple of days once wrigglers appear. We're not averse to them though. It might be worth a try in hopes of the goats having 'fewer-biting-bug' access to the Pocket Paddock. Whatever you decide, let us know.
ReplyDeleteChris from Boise
I find those dunks pretty interesting. That is a known "natural" pest control. I think I have used it in my veggie garden.
ReplyDeleteMint is a funny thing here too. I finally have a bit of spearmint growing beside the cellar. But peppermint will definitely take over so I have it in a pot. It survived winter in the pot, which kinda surprised me.
Exactly - the main reason I'm considering this is that Bti is present in soil anyway, and is used even by organic gardeners/farmers as pest control - I think as a powder, applied directly to plants? Maybe not. You can tell me :)
DeleteI can't comment on the disk things - I'll be interested in what you do. I bought mint, but ended up keeping it in a pot. My front lawn gets enough sun that a lot of the invasives have a field day, and I was afraid of what the mint would do!
ReplyDeleteBut imagine mowing a lawn of mint! What a heady aroma :)
DeleteAyran is called laban here and my husband drinks it a lot. I'm with you on questioning the safety of the dunks. I mean, I'm sure a lot of people would just use them if they are only thinking about themselves, but when there's animals involved that will actually be eating from the ground, that's a different story. As for mint, I can never, ever get it to grow in pots. Our neighbor has a patch planted next to the road that was thriving before the heat set in. But no matter the weather, I still just can't get it to grow. Like you said, never give up. :)
ReplyDeleteIsn't it funny? a plant that most people can't keep from growing! This time I put two plants that were given to me in a thriving condition into one of my fancy metal raised planters, so I can keep a close eye on them. If they do well, I'll take cuttings and try again to populate the areas where I've failed in the past.
DeleteOMGoodness, that first sentence is pure gold! 😂
ReplyDeleteLocal reality!
DeleteI've never heard of those ring-things so am of no help to you. I did read the other day that people are putting goldfish into their rain barrels which supposedly will keep the mosquito population down because they eat the larvae. No clue if it works though.
ReplyDeleteIf I had bigger troughs and could keep them partially shaded at all times, I would try having goldfish, then they could come inside and entertain Moxie in the winter. (Moxie likes to paddle.) But my biggest trough is only 15 gallons, and in full sun most of the day. Except rainy days ;)
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