Brooklyn1 Gravesend1 wrote:
On Tue, 24 May 2011 01:14:53 +0000 (UTC), Nad R
wrote:

Higgs Boson wrote:
On May 20, 5:13 pm, Nad R wrote:

At least my rain barrels are full incase of a early dry pattern.


--NAD, do you put anything in your rain barrels to avoid mosquitoes or
other contamination? Like bleach or something else? Of course it would
have to be "mild" enough not to harm plants when it is eventually poured on them.

HB

I put nothing in them. My barrels are small with an open top, only forty
gallons each under each of the five downspouts. So they fill up fast and
then overflow. The over flow seems to keep bugs and green muck (a
scientific term here) from forming on top. I use them one at a time. If it
does not rain and I see bugs or green muck then I will top them off from my
well water or top it off from another barrel so it overflows until muck is
gone.

However, the green muck does not bother me. Mosquitoes tend to come from
the drainage ditches or my 1/2 acre pond.

If you aerate your pond that will cut the mosquito population way
down... keep that water moving and mosquitos can't breed.

it does have aerator pumps in the pond. I however do not need them on windy
days the pond is big and last tested good for potability. I will turn on
the pumps on those hot summer days with little wind. Those pumps are costly
to run. A big mistake not going with windmills instead, but they cost money
also and does not work on those windless summer days.

I learned to live with them, stay inside after a rain and before it gets
dark outside. When the sun shines the bugs seem to go away. I wear light
weight long sleeve shirts and spray my clothes with a bug repellent when
they get bad. Mid summer misquotes seem to go away.

--
Enjoy Life... Nad R (Garden in zone 5a Michigan)