Moving Water Knows No Squatter

A water garden is a lovely addition to any landscape. If you've been reluctant to add a water feature because of mosquitoes, a few simple precautions is all that's required.

Since mosquitoes need water to breed, let's take a look at their cycle of life. The mosquito goes through four distinct stages: egg, larva, pupa and adult.

An adult mosquito typically lays eggs in standing or stagnant water. The eggs float on the surface for a couple days before hatching into larvae. The larvae live in the water for several days and then change into pupae. The pupa stage is very similar to the cocoon stage of a butterfly. The pupae float on the surface of the water for a couple more days before emerging as adult mosquitoes. Depending upon conditions, the entire cycle takes a week or two.

Agitating the surface of the water can effectively interfere with a couple of these stages. Mosquitoes generally do not lay eggs in moving water. Moving water will also inhibit newly hatched adults from resting on the surface to dry their wings and fly away. A fountain or waterfall is ideal for agitating the surface and keep your water moving.

Besides moving water, there are frogs and toads! One toad can eat more than a hundred mosquitoes a night. They lay their eggs in water and their tadpoles eat mosquito larvae. Given a friendly environment, toads have been known to hang around for several years.

Some other natural methods of control include fish, dragonfly nymphs or certain kinds of bacteria.

If water gardening sounds appealing, don't let the thought of mosquitoes stop you from experimenting. With a few precautions you can enjoy your water feature all summer long without any worry of squatters!