Date: Tue, 8 Jun 1999 14:43:45 -0700 (PDT) From: Chris Teichreb <cjteichr@sfu.ca> To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg2060$foo@default> Subject: Re: mosquito control (was algae and rainwater)
Hi Jay,
To throw in my two cents worth here. From what I remember,
skeeter larvae are surface dwellers, and require air to breathe. I
friend of mine used a pesticide, specific for mosquito larvae, which
basically spread a fine film of oil on the surface, choking out the
larvae. I don't see why that wouldn't work here, if you get out the
vegetable oil and pour it on top to create an impenetrable layer (now
depending on the surface area of your water container, that could be a lot
of oil!). Since the oil would float, you should be able to siphon out
pure water from below. During rainfalls, it would become disrupted, but
should float back to the top.
I highly recommend experimentation with this technique first,
since as you know Jay (and others), I'm not always to be trusted with
advice ;)!
Happy growing,
Chris
On Tue, 8 Jun 1999, Patty Petzel wrote:
> Jay Lechtman asked: >>>I have recently seen mosquito control cakes
> comprised primarily (I >believe) of Bacillus thuringiensis var.
> israelensis, and designed >to be broken up and disolved in water.
>
> >Has anyone used this product? Any experiences you can share?
> >untoward effect on plants? reapplication rate? effectiveness?<<<
>
> I used this product last year and it worked very well. I know how
> well it worked because I left a tub of water untreated. That tub
> produced alot of mosquitoes. I tossed in different size pieces
> depending on the tank size. It sems like I used half a cake for 300
> gallons, maybe a thumbnail size piece in buckets. It seemed to go a
> long way. I believe I only applied it twice last summer. It didn't
> seem to kill off any other water critters, just mosquito larvae. I
> couldn't see that it hurt the plants (Sarrs., VFTs, Drosera,
> Utrics., Sphagnum, other non CPs). I'm only now getting ready to
> use it again. (It's been too cool to sit out side much this spring
> and I like the idea of letting birds and bats consume some of the
> early mosquitoes).
>
**********************************
Chris Teichreb
Department of Biological Sciences
Simon Fraser University
Burnaby, B.C.
cjteichr@sfu.ca
**********************************
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