Ask A Scientist© Zoology Archive

name       Ronnie
status     educator
age        30s

   Question - In our area some people collect rain water to use to water their
pets(ducks & geese). They were concerned about mosquitos in those
barrels and how to control them without making the water unusable
for their pets. Do you have any suggestions? What is the normal
territorial range for a mosquito?

The best bet would be some type of cover for the barrels, for example a 
cloth if the rain must drain directly into the barrels. A screen might 
also work, but I don't know for sure if a female mosquito will lay eggs 
without landing directly on the water.

Don

Donald Yee Ph.D.               San Francisco Estuary Institute
180 Richmond Field Station,     1325 South 46th St. Richmond, CA 94804
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We solved the problem at home (in Europe) by putting
enough insect-eating waterbugs in the water, which we
collected from a stream. In a short while a
mini-ecosystem established itself in our water
container and all mosquito larvae were gone.
Biological pest control pur sang. Would it work in
your conditions?

Trudy Wassenaar
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The simplest way to control mosquitoes is simply to empty the containers
periodically, at least once every week or two, to prevent mosquitoes from
maturing. I don't really know how far an adult mosquito will fly.
J. Elliott
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