Design a Pond to Stop Mosquitoes from Breeding

Mosquitoes are rather unpopular insects, well-known for the female mosquito’s habit of feeding on animal and human blood to feed her own family. Mosquitoes can be vectors for dengue, malaria, and West Nile virus. The pond gardener doesn’t necessarily set out to design a pond for mosquitoes, but a poor pond design can mean that the pond becomes an excellent mosquito habitat. Here are some ways to design a pond so that mosquitoes will not lay eggs, hatch into larvae, and turn into adult mosquitoes, flying and biting people who sit near the water garden.

What Environment Do Mosquitoes Like?

A calm and quiet pond is an ideal habitat for mosquitoes. This is a place where they like to breed. Soon, the water will be full of wriggling mosquito larvae and the air will be full of hungry adult mosquitoes. Add plants, predators, and moving water, and the mosquitoes are much less comfortable.

Design a Pond to Avoid Breeding Mosquito Larvae

To create a pond that mosquitoes will not enjoy, create a pond that has flowing water. Add a pondless waterfall, a water fountain, or another water garden ornament. Avoid areas of still water in the pond. A bird bath is lovely, but it should be filled with moving water, not still water. Any areas with still water should be refilled every few days and scrubbed thoroughly during mosquito season.

There are several plants that can be planted around the pond to deter mosquitoes, too. These include citronella geranium (Pelargonium citrosum), pyrethrum (Chrysanthemum cinerarifolium), and rose geranium (Pelargonium graveolens). The oils and scent of these plants repels mosquitoes.

Change An Existing Pond to Stop Mosquitoes

Add fish. Fish like to eat animals that live in the pond. They will happily munch on mosquito larvae if given half a chance. Make sure that the temperature and oxygen levels in the pond are suitable for fish, and don’t choose too many. It’s possible to overload the pond with the extra food and feces from fish. However, a few fish will do a world of good for mosquito problems.

If there are bats in the neighborhood, add a bat house on a tree near the pond. In areas with insect-eating bats, many bats thrive on mosquitoes and will eat hundreds in an evening.

Also, when retrofitting a pond to deter mosquitoes, search for other possible mosquito breeding areas in the garden. It may be that an old tire, a bird bath, or a child’s pool is actually the source of the problem. Make sure that any standing water is removed or emptied frequently.

While mosquitoes are pollinators and an important part of the pond food chain, they are also vectors of disease. Use smart pond design to deter mosquitoes from breeding, and have a safer and less itch-inducing water garden!