Natural Mosquito Control
Mosquitoes are not usually as big of a problem in Nelson as they are in other parts of the Kootenays, but sometimes high water and lots of rain early in the season can contribute to a bumper crop of the blood-sucking pest.
Mosquitoes need standing water to breed, so if you are being bothered by the insects while out in your yard or garden, you may want to take a look around your property to see if you are providing them with the right conditions to set up shop. Old tires, bird baths, fountains (either not cycling water or cycling slowly), kids swimming pools, rain water barrels, and coffee cans are all things that can hold water and allow mosquitoes to breed near your home. They can breed in a surprisingly small amount of water, in a surprisingly fast time frame. If the kids were out in the pool on Saturday and didn’t dump it out, by the next weekend you could be hatching larva out of that same water.
The easiest thing you can do if you find standing water is to dump it out. That may not always be possible though, particularly if you collect rain water for your garden. There are special barrels available with covers that allow you to collect the water without the bugs, but that isn’t an option for everyone.
This year in the garden we had high numbers of mosquito larva in our own rainwater collection tubs, and no way to dump them or cover them, so we put garlic oil in the water. To make the oil, roughly chop fresh garlic cloves and put into vegetable oil. Let sit for a few days and then add to your water! In the heat of the sun the oil will disperse over the surface of the water and keep the larva from hatching, as well as keeping adults from laying fresh eggs.
Take caution when using this method as it may inhibit the larva of beneficial insects as well, so do not use it in ponds, and it will leave the surface of your water with an oily film. The water remains useful for watering the garden, and its nice to be able to enjoy the green spaces without fear of donating a pint of blood each day!
