Do mosquitoes make it tough to enjoy your backyard and get stuff done? If so, consider getting Mosquito Dunks to kill mosquitoes before they’re old enough to bite. Read on as our team at A Garden Patch answers reader questions like “How do Mosquito Dunks work?” and “Why should I get them?”
What You Should Know About Mosquitoes
The United States is home to roughly 176 mosquito species of the 3,000 worldwide.
Nothing ruins your outdoor time during the summer like a swarm of mosquitoes. No matter where you live, you’ve probably seen them flying around, heard them buzzing by your ear, or felt them bite you—not to mention the itchy bite spots they’ve left on your arms and legs.
Despite their pesky behavior, mosquitoes play a part in maintaining healthy habitats and ecosystems. Their primary food sources come from plant nectar, making them pollinators that help flowering plants reproduce and provide other wildlife with a continual food supply.
Mosquito-Borne Diseases
Mosquitoes are more than irritating—they can be deadly. Every year, one million people die from mosquito bites and mosquito-borne diseases around the globe. Mosquitoes carry diseases including:
- Dengue
- Malaria
- Yellow fever
- West Nile virus
Male mosquitoes don’t bite, but you’ll want to watch out for the females. Female mosquitoes remove a small amount of blood when they bite, collecting proteins to help them develop eggs. One female mosquito will lay around 300 eggs in her lifetime—that’s 300 new mosquitoes to plague your backyard!
Mosquito Life Cycle
Although thousands of mosquito species exist worldwide, their life cycles remain the same. Each mosquito goes through four life stages, the first three being entirely aquatic:
- Egg. Adult female mosquitoes can lay their eggs up to 100 eggs at a time just above the waterline in stagnant water, such as puddles, bird baths, and ponds.
- Larva. Larvae emerge from the eggs after the water level rises. This means additional rainfall or other water you add to their aquatic nursery furthers the mosquito life cycle.
- Pupa. The larva becomes a pupa after feeding on microorganisms and molting three times. Pupae remain in the water until their fully formed adult bodies emerge.
- Adult. Once mosquitoes reach this stage, they leave the water. Male adult mosquitoes feed on flower nectar, while female adult mosquitoes feed on humans and animals.
You can reduce the mosquito population by dumping outdoor water containers and encouraging water flow. However, it’s almost impossible to do this for ponds and large fountains. That’s where Mosquito Dunks come in.
What Are Mosquito Dunks, and How Do They Work?
Adding a Mosquito Dunk to your pond is a great way to disrupt the first three stages of a mosquito’s life cycle. Mosquito Dunks are larvicides that kill mosquito larvae and prevent them from reaching maturity.
With other pest control methods, you have to use liquid or mist products to eliminate mosquitoes. How do Mosquito Dunks work, and how are they different? Mosquito Dunks use small disks that look like doughnuts and dissolve in water over time.
Mosquito Dunk disks use Bacillus Thuringiensis Israelensis (or BTI) as their active ingredient. BTI is a natural bacterium that comes from soil and seeps into the stagnant water once the disks dissolve. The BTI bacterium targets mosquito larvae specifically without harming other aquatic wildlife.
When mosquito larvae drink water full of BTI, it attacks their digestive system and makes them starve to death. After ingestion, the larvae die in less than 48 hours. A single Mosquito Dunk can typically stay effective in one water source for up to 30 days.
Pros to Getting Mosquito Dunks
There are several benefits to getting Mosquito Dunks for your pool, pond, or large fountain:
- Natural insecticide: Mosquito Dunks kill larvae naturally, so you don’t have to spray toxic chemicals or use harmful products.
- Low maintenance: You can apply Mosquito Dunks yourself—no need to schedule a visit from pest control companies.
- Fast results: Mosquito Dunks eliminate mosquito larvae in under 48 hours.
- Safe solutions: With Mosquito Dunks, you can target mosquito larvae only. You don’t have to worry about harming fish, turtles, frogs, and other aquatic wildlife.
- Affordability: Mosquito Dunks provide a cheap solution to controlling mosquitoes before they become an issue.
Cons to Getting Mosquito Dunks
While Mosquito Dunks are an excellent solution for many property owners, they may not solve all your pest problems. Here are the cons to getting Mosquito Dunks:
- They only kill mosquito larvae. If you have an ongoing struggle with other bugs, you’ll need to find additional solutions.
- They don’t keep mosquitoes from laying eggs. Even with Mosquito Dunks, adult mosquitoes will continue to lay eggs.
- They don’t eliminate adult mosquitoes. Mosquito Dunks kill larvae, not adult mosquitoes. You may still struggle with mosquitoes on your property after using this natural insecticide.
- They could contain harmful ingredients. Not all Mosquito Dunks are equal. Some may use chemicals that could harm more than mosquito larvae. You’ll need to read through the list of ingredients and directions before choosing a product.
Are Mosquito Dunks Right for You?
Do you hate going outside because of the mosquitoes? Do you have lots of stagnant water on your property, the perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes? If you answered yes, Mosquito Dunks might be your best solution.
Our reliable Mosquito Dunks from A Garden Patch can help eliminate mosquitoes before they bite. We make our Mosquito Dunks using a natural bacterium that doesn’t harm wildlife or plant life. Simply place the doughnut-like disks in the water and let them go to work, keeping your yard larva-free.
Avoid the Gardening Hassle: Get a GrowBox
Many self-proclaimed garden experts will try to give you advice. Some of it could be beneficial, but you’ll want to learn more about common gardening myths.
Do you struggle to maintain a healthy garden? Try the Garden Patch GrowBox, our automatic planter that takes over gardening so that you can avoid the hassle and enjoy the produce. Order yours online or call (800) 519-1955 to place an order and find answers to more questions like “How do Mosquito Dunks work?”
