Mosquitos notoriety as a transmitter of diseases such as the dengue posed great risk to humanitys health. Since rain barrel water is one of the potential breeding ground of mosquitoes, household must be adept enough to know the responsibilities of proper usage, storage and maintenance of rain barrels.
Mostly, households use rain barrels to conserve water to be used for lawn and garden purposes. But standing water is the ultimate breeding ground for mosquitoes, to avoid any mosquito related diseases, killing an adult and the larvae they produce is a must.
By dropping some mosquito dunks or bits directly to the
rain barrel, will kill mosquitos larvae before they mature into biting adults. Made with Bt-israelensis (Bt-i), a highly specific biological pesticide, this product represents a major breakthrough for people and the environment when compared with the traditional toxic chemical approach to mosquito control. This pesticide will not harm people, pets, wildlife or fish.
Once a month place wherever water accumulates around your home such as
rain barrels you will get rid of mosquitoes for the whole season. Each Dunk will effectively treat up to 100 square feet of surface water regardless of depth. They may also be broken in half to treat smaller areas. Great for use in water gardens, flower pots, bird baths, rain gutters and decorative ponds.
Getting used your goldfish pet to the rain barrel water is also a great way as they feed on mosquito larvae too. By keeping them in the bag from the pet store and allowing it to float on the water until the temperature in the bag gradually adjusts to that of the water in the rain barrel, and then this is the time to release the fish.
Once the above mentioned tips had been done, cover the rain barrels lid with a fine mesh screen to prevent mosquito infestation from returning. Rain barrel water treated with mosquito dunk is ideal for gardening use only and not fit for human consumption. Keep the screen clean of debris accumulated after storms to collect as much rain water and run-off as possible.
