Question:
Can someone tell me how to keep the mosquitos in check in a
stagnant beaver pond? I live near a 15 acre lake (a man-made
flooded field with a dam at one end), next to a stream that
feeds into the lake. This year some beavers dammed up the
stream as it enters the lake, creating a beaver pond, about
150' x 40'. I like the beavers but their pond has become a
perfect mosquito breeding ground - the water is thick with
green surface scum and larvae.
Can I stock the pond with fish who will feast on the
bugs? The lake supports some small carp, snapping turtles,
and a dwindling population of frogs. I don't want to introduce
anything that will upset the balance of the lake. My end of
the lake is shallow (2-3 feet in most places - 4 feet in a
few spots) and I don't think the beaver pond can be much more
than 3 feet deep anywhere. The beavers set up housekeeping
in this spot most years (not all) but I've never seen such
a spike in the mosquitos as I'm seeing this year.
I was thinking of koi - mostly because I know where to get
them. Are there other fish that would be better? And if so,
where do I get them? TIA for any suggestions or ideas.
[And please forgive my ignorance of pond ecology - I'm
posting to this group in an effort to avoid any dumb
and/or regrettable manipulations of the environment.
BTW - I'm in north-central Massachusetts
Answer:
>Can someone tell me how to keep the mosquitos in check in a
>stagnant beaver pond? I live near a 15 acre lake (a man-made
>flooded field with a dam at one end), next to a stream that
>feeds into the lake. This year some beavers dammed up the
>stream as it enters the lake, creating a beaver pond, about
>150' x 40'. I like the beavers but their pond has become a
>perfect mosquito breeding ground - the water is thick with
>green surface scum and larvae.
You need some sort of a drain to let the top layer drain off
taking the larva and scum with it. A spillway that can be
opened or closed my be good. The scum actually helps keep
the mosquitos down according to a botanist I have been
talking to.
>Can I stock the pond with fish who will feast on the
>bugs? The lake supports some small carp, snapping turtles,
>and a dwindling population of frogs. I don't want to introduce
>anything that will upset the balance of the lake.
>I was thinking of koi - mostly because I know where to get
>them. Are there other fish that would be better? And if so,
>where do I get them?
Check with your county agent about what you can put in the pond.
I am sure some of the frogs from the lake would love the pond,
and they eat mosquitoes, I think the tadpoles will eat the larva.
Swallows are birds that love mosquitoes. Purple Martins are
reputed to be the best mosquito eaters. I had some barn swallows
build nests on my porch and they would spend most of the spring
and summer catching mosquitoes. When the babies were able to
fly we had they caught even more. I was they would come back,
but some finches (seed eaters) took their old nests.
Barn swallows are attracted to and may nests in man made structure
using mud to glue their nests together. The nests are ugly, but I
left them up in hopes they would come back. I read that it
is considered bad luck to take down a swallows nest, considering
how many mosquitoes they eat, there might be something to that.
A bug zapper would not hurt if you put it far enough away from
the house.
