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Mosquitoes

christineohara6christineohara6 Posts: 1
in Problem solving
Hi we have decking and really bad soil. Nothing ever soaks away easily. Underneath the decking we reckon there must be mosquitoes breeding. We can't step out into the garden but we are bitten. Any ideas as to how to get rid of the problem?

Posts

  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    I don't know if it'd work, but a few drops of olive oil or similar would create a film on the surface where they lay their egg rafts and would may stop the larvae from getting air at the surface
    just a thought 

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • Blue OnionBlue Onion Posts: 2,995
    Our county has a mosquito abatement program, due to West Nile that they carry, and I was speaking to a fellow teacher who works for them during summers (expressing my concern about spraying chemicals everywhere).. and he said they mainly use this type of stuff.  It's a biological control.  I've never used it though.. but maybe you could sprinkle it down below your deck every few weeks in summer?
    Utah, USA.
  • The Bald GardenerThe Bald Gardener Posts: 212
    Introduce the Midge to your garden, they'll make short work of any mosquito.......unfortunately there every bit as annoying!  ;)
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    edited May 2018
    Get rid of the decking? I would expect that if you put weed suppressing cloth membrane under the decking and seal it well (and without tears) mozis could not breed in the water and the water would seep through and away. it would have to be a perfect fit or they would sneak in around the sides / through the slits. A thick layer of gravel over the earth under the decking and over the earth, might work too. As long as there is nowhere for water to pool.
  • InglezinhoInglezinho Posts: 568
    The classic mosquito is Aedes egyptii, which is not found in Britain, as the larvae cannot survive frost. It is more likely to be one of the many species of midge. It is also unlikely they are breeding in your garden unless you have a pond. The decking is probably a red herring. Ask your neighbours if they are also bothered. If so, there could be a source of breeding nearby. If the problem is common, you may be able to get the environmental department of your local council to do something.
    Everyone likes butterflies. Nobody likes caterpillars.
  • JellyfireJellyfire Posts: 1,139
    Mosquitos do breed freely in Britain. They don’t carry malaria or any dangerous diseases, but they certainly breed in ponds, ditches, in fact any standing water, even a bucket of water in the garden. I’d follow fire’s advice and lift the decking if the problem is that bad. Can’t see any other way of tackling it other than removing the opportunity to breed for them 
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    I am inundated with mozis in London. I have bought and given mozi dunks to neighbours (who are friends) and encouraged them to use them. They are extraordinarily effective (overnight) and are mozi specific. I also encourage them to empty out buckets etc of stagnant water.

    If I don't put mozi cream on, I am shredded. It's not much fun not being able to easily use the garden after 5pm. As I understand it, mozis don't fly terribly far or high, so it really helps to clear stagnant water within 100 yards of the house. A neighbour has a carp pond but I'm hoping the fish are eating the mozis and larva. Although I thought that about tadpoles but have seen my pond with loads of tads and loads of mozi larva twitching about (before I put in the dunk). Fish loving larva might be another of those myths.
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