2006-12-18 11:42:04 · 5 answers · asked by pjlangstaff 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Zoology
An enviromentally sound answer - drain the water source. Add natural predators - Dragonflies, frogs, bats and all sorts of other insects prey on them. Fish are EXTREMELY sensitive to any pesticides so it's not worth it. I have heard of the old method of spreading a layer of oil across the water, it works, but it also kills other emerging insects, like dragonflies. Then the balance is upset.
2006-12-18 13:08:28 · answer #1 · answered by Clrinsight 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
If you want to kill flying mosquito's, I have no answers. Because they can fly from the water source and bite, the only option you have is prevent them from from biting you.
If it is in a pond, introduce some frogs or a native fish that eats mosquito larvae. If there are no native fish and you can be sure that a an introduced species that eats mosquito larvae cannot get into your local waterways, put that into your pond.
Do not introduce Mosquito Fish into your pond. They are live bearers, having live young like guppies, and have posed an ecological threat in every country they have been introduced into and failed to control the mosquito.
Other than that, olive oil or any natural oil poured onto the surface of the water will stop the mosquito larvae from breathing. Kerosene, petrol or other hydrocarbons will do the job, but ecologically sound they are not. Anything that stops the mosquito larvae from breathing will stop oxygen entering the water, so the fish will not breathe either.
2006-12-18 21:18:27 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
We used to kill mosquito larvae by putting oil on the water. The oil covered the surface of the water and plugged the larvae's breathing tube. Ecologically, that's a very bad thing to do though...
2006-12-18 11:46:50 · answer #3 · answered by hcbiochem 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
1. Mosquitofish. Gambusias or guppies. Your state may even give them away free.
2. Dump the water out.
3. Triops. Buy them on EBay as "Triassic Triops." The downside is that they don't live very long, and won't "regenerate" unless it's a temporary puddle that dries up and refills periodically("vernal pool").
4. DDT. Probably illegal where you live.
2006-12-18 13:19:18 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
Small amounts of bleach.
2006-12-18 12:49:00 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋