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Advice WantedDo you use mosquito dunks?
I’m considering using mosquito dunks, since my garden is overrun with invasive Egyptian mosquitoes, which can spread far more diseases than the classic brown mosquito of years past. I first began noticing them last year, due to their distinct black and white stripes. These mosquitoes are such bastards, they’re active all damn day, and they’ll bite me through my clothing. They make gardening really unpleasant, because if I brush against a bush or something I’ll release a cloud of these motherfuckers. I’ve resorted to using OFF spray but if I use it in the sun my skin starts to feel like it’s burning, and even if there’s no sun repeated sprays of it begin to affect my skin anyway. And it doesn’t matter because the fuckers will just go for my face instead (I’m not putting that shit on my face). Citronella is my preferred method but it only works temporarily.
I can’t use the fan method, as my yard is long and narrow and my garden is at the far end of it; I don’t think it would be wise to attach a bunch of extension cords and then risk them getting wet 😬
So I’m considering mosquito dunks, but I’m nervous because I worry that other wildlife could be harmed by them. Like if a little bunny or raccoon drinks a bit of the water, or a butterfly or bee decide to check out what’s inside the bucket. My garden was created with pollinators in mind, and it’s attracted hundreds of them, possibly thousands. I fear that placing a mosquito dunk bucket could accidentally claim thousands of innocent bug and animal lives.
Have you used mosquito dunks? Did you like them? Did you have problems with them? Would you recommend them?
Thank you!
Well, allegedly
According to the Center for Control Disease (CDC), BTI isn’t toxic except for just these annoying insects. [mosquito, fungus gnats, black flies] It’s not harmful to humans, animals, fish, birds, or the soil.
So if you can get something that only contains BTI, you should be safe.
If you have bees that are in need of water, you could set out an additional flat plate with water that dries up so fast that the larvae die? Bees often manage to drown in too deep water, so a plate would be better than a bucket, anyhow, and they might avoid the bucket if they can get to a better source of water.
(Or perhaps a net over the bucket that only lets mosquito through? They are very tiny little fuckers, not sure if any of the nicer insects are smaller or as small. I do trust that BTI is safe-ish to mammals, but am not so sure about insects, as they could hardly have tested it on every insect in existence.)
My strategy so far has just been to avoid letting any standing water accumulate, I make sure to change bird baths every two days and tip out the few pots or toys we have that store puddles whenever we get rain. But I've been curious about dunks too. I'm like 100 miles from the towns that just initiated a voluntary curfew because of EEE.
Oof yeah EEE is endemic here as is West Nile but we’ve never had curfews over it 😳
Haha apparently Webster is one of the towns with the curfew. I hope nobody goes to Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg and gets EEE…or any other vowels. Sorry, I’ll see myself out.
I thought I was having a stroke but no, that’s it’s real name
I feel bad for laughing because apparently it’s a native name that has a lot of meaning and history to it but perhaps it got lost in translation 😅
I didn't realize it was Algonquin, that would make sense. They fought the Haudenosaunee alongside the French. I can see why they were allies, they both enjoy a good string of unnecessary vowels.
I love all of the Algonquin names we have in New England, including this lake, but we have to be real here - it’s funny 😆
I definitely do think the Algonquin’s had a sense of humor!
I'm just far enough West of you to be primarilly 5 Nations territory, but theres still a lot of influence from Mohawk and Mahican tribes here too, and there are lots of beautiful names. Even ones that have been changed. Lake George was once Andia-ta-roc-te, Lake that shuts itself in. I love it so much I could spit that we call it geOrGe.
Seriously, that name is miles better! It’s a really pretty name, and gives the lake its character. Such a shame to call it “GEORGE”! Fuck calling a pretty lake a man’s name
Truly. She's also called Queen of the American Lakes, but let's change her name from the language of a tribe of this land whose women were revered and held political power to the name of a man from another land. Very upside down.
That is a real lake, turns out. Wow.
Wait did you think I made that up at first? 😂
That would be less shocking and illogical than thinking that an entire town approved that name! The good news is it's Mass so you probably only pronounce like two syllables! I'm sure theres a good town-naming-things story there, like Wettasse creek from A River Runs Through It.
I've used a mosquito larva trap. There are different designs based on what kind of mosquitos you have - I made a bag from fine fabric, put it in a container and filled the bag with water. You have to remove it and rinse it every few days. Some are attracted to dark colours.
Another way to put water out for the animals is to use a water bottle for rabbits or chickens, they soon learn to use it.
Stop it that is cuteness overload!!!!!!!!