Anyone know of an Australian source for the bacteria (BTI) or the
hormone control for mosquito wriggles? I searched online but can't
find any local web suppliers, i.e., in Aust, yet there are plenty of
outlets in the US.

A pool company has left a friend with a half-finished pool, and the
pool and the cratered yard are breeding plenty of mozzies here in
Sydney despite it officially being Winter. The mild temperature and
unrelenting showery weather are providing good breeding conditions.

The owner tried a couple of bottles of kero but it evaporated too
quickly to be a long-term solution (while awaiting a legal remedy for
the pool). Initially I thought a pool cover might provide the answer,
but I've been reading where pooled rainwater in the plastic cover
itself can provide a good breeding ground.

ALSO:

We might have some new readers since I last asked this question, so
I'll try it again: Some years ago I heard on a radio program of a new
(new to me!) method for stopping mozzies from breeding in garden
water features, lily ponds, etc., and I thought to myself "I should
write that down or I'll probably forget it." Well, I didn't write it
down, and sure enough I forgot the details!

This method didn't involve tiny fish or anything like that, either.
I just can't remember what it did involve; just that it was something
I would not have otherwise thought of.

Anyone?
--
John Savage (my news address is not valid for email)

g'day john,

yeh i just did a google and didn't turn up much, they do have products
in teh USA that can be put in the water, maybe your friend may have to
purchase some online, check with quaranteen first to be sure they will
allow it into the country.

in the mean time why not add some native fish into the water guppie
type things we have many that are good ate eating the wrigglers and
eggs, there is even a shrimp.

yep we should write things down when we hear them hey? me guilty of
same.

up here the local gov' has these helicopters who broadcast some
product into the breeding grounds in the magrove areas, maybe you
could conatct them and ask what it is? maybe start with the sate gov'?
then try the moreton shire.


On Fri, 19 Jun 2009 08:42:25 +0000 (UTC), John Savage
wrote:

snipped
With peace and brightest of blessings,

len & bev

--
"Be Content With What You Have And
May You Find Serenity and Tranquillity In
A World That You May Not Understand."

http://www.lensgarden.com.au/

not much help out there hey john,

especially for the purchase of the product(s), Bacillus thuringiensis
israelensis (Bti). would think this is what the local gov' uses? they
may be able to tell you how or where to buy it?

here is another product suggested:

methoprene

used in dog flea treatments as well.

how would using vege' oil go? it may not evaporate like kero' all that
is needed is th stop their access to oxygen, that's all the kero'
does.



On Fri, 19 Jun 2009 08:42:25 +0000 (UTC), John Savage
wrote:
snipped
With peace and brightest of blessings,

len & bev

--
"Be Content With What You Have And
May You Find Serenity and Tranquillity In
A World That You May Not Understand."

http://www.lensgarden.com.au/

On Fri, 19 Jun 2009 08:42:25 +0000 (UTC), John Savage wrote:

Anyone know of an Australian source for the bacteria (BTI) or the
hormone control for mosquito wriggles? I searched online but can't
find any local web suppliers, i.e., in Aust, yet there are plenty of
outlets in the US.

A pool company has left a friend with a half-finished pool, and the
pool and the cratered yard are breeding plenty of mozzies here in
Sydney despite it officially being Winter. The mild temperature and
unrelenting showery weather are providing good breeding conditions.

The owner tried a couple of bottles of kero but it evaporated too
quickly to be a long-term solution (while awaiting a legal remedy for
the pool). Initially I thought a pool cover might provide the answer,
but I've been reading where pooled rainwater in the plastic cover
itself can provide a good breeding ground.

ALSO:

We might have some new readers since I last asked this question, so
I'll try it again: Some years ago I heard on a radio program of a new
(new to me!) method for stopping mozzies from breeding in garden
water features, lily ponds, etc., and I thought to myself "I should
write that down or I'll probably forget it." Well, I didn't write it
down, and sure enough I forgot the details!

This method didn't involve tiny fish or anything like that, either.
I just can't remember what it did involve; just that it was something
I would not have otherwise thought of.

Anyone?

Use a natural method - chuck in a few fish.

wrote:
On Fri, 19 Jun 2009 08:42:25 +0000 (UTC), John Savage
wrote:

Anyone know of an Australian source for the bacteria (BTI) or the
hormone control for mosquito wriggles? I searched online but can't
find any local web suppliers, i.e., in Aust, yet there are plenty of
outlets in the US.

A pool company has left a friend with a half-finished pool, and the
pool and the cratered yard are breeding plenty of mozzies here in
Sydney despite it officially being Winter. The mild temperature and
unrelenting showery weather are providing good breeding conditions.

The owner tried a couple of bottles of kero but it evaporated too
quickly to be a long-term solution (while awaiting a legal remedy for
the pool). Initially I thought a pool cover might provide the answer,
but I've been reading where pooled rainwater in the plastic cover
itself can provide a good breeding ground.


How about diesel oil?

ALSO:

We might have some new readers since I last asked this question, so
I'll try it again: Some years ago I heard on a radio program of a new
(new to me!) method for stopping mozzies from breeding in garden
water features, lily ponds, etc., and I thought to myself "I should
write that down or I'll probably forget it." Well, I didn't write it
down, and sure enough I forgot the details!

This method didn't involve tiny fish or anything like that, either.
I just can't remember what it did involve; just that it was something
I would not have otherwise thought of.

Anyone?

Use a natural method - chuck in a few fish.

Not a very promising idea in a building site. Cement or mortar will make
the water too alkaline for fish and there has to be some sort of ecology to
support them.

David

On Sat, 20 Jun 2009 08:52:37 +1000, "David Hare-Scott" wrote:

wrote:
On Fri, 19 Jun 2009 08:42:25 +0000 (UTC), John Savage
wrote:

Anyone know of an Australian source for the bacteria (BTI) or the
hormone control for mosquito wriggles? I searched online but can't
find any local web suppliers, i.e., in Aust, yet there are plenty of
outlets in the US.

A pool company has left a friend with a half-finished pool, and the
pool and the cratered yard are breeding plenty of mozzies here in
Sydney despite it officially being Winter. The mild temperature and
unrelenting showery weather are providing good breeding conditions.

The owner tried a couple of bottles of kero but it evaporated too
quickly to be a long-term solution (while awaiting a legal remedy for
the pool). Initially I thought a pool cover might provide the answer,
but I've been reading where pooled rainwater in the plastic cover
itself can provide a good breeding ground.


How about diesel oil?

ALSO:

We might have some new readers since I last asked this question, so
I'll try it again: Some years ago I heard on a radio program of a new
(new to me!) method for stopping mozzies from breeding in garden
water features, lily ponds, etc., and I thought to myself "I should
write that down or I'll probably forget it." Well, I didn't write it
down, and sure enough I forgot the details!

This method didn't involve tiny fish or anything like that, either.
I just can't remember what it did involve; just that it was something
I would not have otherwise thought of.

Anyone?

Use a natural method - chuck in a few fish.

Not a very promising idea in a building site. Cement or mortar will make
the water too alkaline for fish and there has to be some sort of ecology to
support them.


Yeah ! Mozzie larvae....
David

len writes:
not much help out there hey john,
especially for the purchase of the product(s), Bacillus thuringiensis
israelensis (Bti). would think this is what the local gov' uses? they
may be able to tell you how or where to buy it?

here is another product suggested:

methoprene

Yes, those are the two I was chasing up.

how would using vege' oil go? it may not evaporate like kero' all that
is needed is th stop their access to oxygen, that's all the kero'
does.

That's a thought, but oil that is never going to evaporate may
cause problems when it comes to tiling, etc. I expect it would
soak into the concrete walls and floor. They do pump as much water
as they can out of the pool from time to time, but wrigglers only
need the remaining few mm to survive in. Then there is all the
water pooled in the churned-up yard, too.

I think the BTI would be the best, if it works as described in the
literature.

Thing is, we're not Robinson Caruso here. There must be hundreds of
people facing the same problem at this very minute. I'd be surprised
to learn there is no local availability of the above commercial
products.

Thanks for your suggestions.
--
John Savage (my news address is not valid for email)

"David Hare-Scott" writes:
How about diesel oil?

That's a thought, but I have reservations. The strong smell of fuel
would probably have the neighbours calling the fire brigade. The
pool's surface area is so large there is a lot of evaporation. When
I put kero on a 0.5 sq m pit drain outside our back door there is a
strong smell of kero inside for 48 hrs as the lighter fractions
evaporate.

Use a natural method - chuck in a few fish.

Not a very promising idea in a building site. Cement or mortar will make
the water too alkaline for fish and there has to be some sort of ecology
to support them.

I ruled out fish in my original post. Discounting the kookaburras,
I'd have PETA on my back each time the sun comes out leaving half
the fish thrashing about in mud for a day or two until the next bout
of rain. There is the pool itself, and the water-filled craters in the
surrounding yard, both breeding 'skeeters.
--
John Savage (my news address is not valid for email)

Just stumbled upon this article. I'm skeptical, as poster created
his nym especially for that one post, but might be worth trying.
If it were true, then you wouldn't want Dipel getting into natural
waterways or whole ecosystems would be under threat.
http://forums.permaculture.org.au/vi...=2316&start=50

All natural low-tech mosquito killing machine
by cycloanarchist » Sun Jan 04, 2009 11:24 pm

I have been testing Dipel (Bacillus thurungiensis) for 2 years, in
garden ponds and a bird bath. It kills mosquito larvae very
effectively. The beauty of it is that the mosqitos lay their eggs in
your thurungiensis innoculated pond thinking it is a great place to
raise more mosquitos. This means they are not laying them somewhere
else, like your roof gutters. The eggs hatch, but the larvae do not
thrive. They just limp around and eventually die. One innoculation
of a sachet of Dipel lasts forever. Even when I have washed out my
cement birdbath, the bacillus persists. Dipel is very available at
any garden store or hardware store as a natural catterpiller killer,
unlike "Mosquito Dunks", which is the closely related Bacillus
Thurengiensis variety Israeliensis.

That thread on permaculture contains a link to:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...0828075659.htm

Catnip Repels Mosquitoes More Effectively Than DEET

ScienceDaily (Aug. 28, 2001) — CHICAGO, August 27 — Researchers
report that nepetalactone, the essential oil in catnip that gives
the plant its characteristic odor, is about ten times more
effective at repelling mosquitoes than DEET — the compound used in
most commercial insect repellents.
--
John Savage (my news address is not valid for email)

john said.
"That's a thought, but oil that is never going to evaporate may
cause problems when it comes to tiling, etc"

that's a point john, cuts the options down as kero would also leave
some inbedded residue in the unsealed cement.

i did think of pumping but imagined that would already be being done.

not sure how cheap we can keep this but the ponding in the yard get
some cheap as sand or whatever and fill all of them in.

you can buy the bti online what i saw it wasn't cheap, there again as
it is coming from overseas talk to customs first if that is the way
that is decided.

how about once it is pumped as much as can be (and we are coming into
our dry period now for the east coast, if news paper or cotton rags
wher sued to soak up the remainder of the water? they could be left in
the pool and then pump when excess water appears.

have they talked to the local council yet? try to do it in a way where
they may not need to identify who has the problem or where, they may
point you at a local product? did they check produce agencies they may
ahve product.

also hope they triumph and get the pool finished.

a thought that just crossed me, we have a salchlor pool, how come
mossies don't breed in a finished pool? is it because of the salt
and/or chlorine??



On Sat, 20 Jun 2009 06:34:04 +0000 (UTC), John Savage
wrote:

snipped
With peace and brightest of blessings,

len & bev

--
"Be Content With What You Have And
May You Find Serenity and Tranquillity In
A World That You May Not Understand."

http://www.lensgarden.com.au/

g'day john,

have you checked out dipel?

as with all things best to keep it out of waterways and that should
happen as the pool is contained?

the other link appears to be more about repelling the mossy from the
person.

On Sat, 20 Jun 2009 10:40:09 +0000 (UTC), John Savage
wrote:

snipped
With peace and brightest of blessings,

len & bev

--
"Be Content With What You Have And
May You Find Serenity and Tranquillity In
A World That You May Not Understand."

http://www.lensgarden.com.au/

len writes:
i did think of pumping but imagined that would already be being done.

Yes, they pump as much as they can out of the pool every now and then,
but we are experiencing a very wet season, and the next day they're
back to square one.

not sure how cheap we can keep this but the ponding in the yard get
some cheap as sand or whatever and fill all of them in.

Well, yes. :-) The reason the yard is full of potholes is that they
had a bobcat in and trucked away heaps of soil to level the slope,
and the plan is to bring in good quality top soil once the retaining
wall is built.

you can buy the bti online what i saw it wasn't cheap, there again as
it is coming from overseas talk to customs first if that is the way
that is decided.

There has got to be a retailer here in Aust, I reckon. But they are
staying well hidden.

how about once it is pumped as much as can be (and we are coming into
our dry period now for the east coast, if news paper or cotton rags
wher sued to soak up the remainder of the water? they could be left in
the pool and then pump when excess water appears.

A big sponge would do it, but they'd have to do it daily at the moment,
and they'd soon get sick of that.

have they talked to the local council yet? try to do it in a way where
they may not need to identify who has the problem or where, they may
point you at a local product? did they check produce agencies they may
ahve product.

I'll be seeing them later this week, and will mention that line of
action.

a thought that just crossed me, we have a salchlor pool, how come
mossies don't breed in a finished pool? is it because of the salt
and/or chlorine??

Would the filter take out wrigglers? I doubt that salt would be a
deterrent; some of the meanest mozzies I've encountered launched
their attack from a brackish lagoon behind a beach.
--
John Savage (my news address is not valid for email)

len writes:
have you checked out dipel?

Not yet. There are no hardware stores anywhere near me.

as with all things best to keep it out of waterways and that should
happen as the pool is contained?

Pool water is contained, but there's a drainhole in the bottom. :-)
There is as much water pooled in the yard as in the pool, and
that ultimately seeps into the street's stormwater drain. My
intention was to spray this water, too, to control the wrigglers
in it. The side of the pool is stopping the yard from draining.

the other link appears to be more about repelling the mossy from the
person.

Yes, I put that there so the next time someone asks what plants will
repel mozzies, I can find it with a google search! (I made a note of
it before I forget, and placed it where I'll be able to find it!)
--
John Savage (my news address is not valid for email)

"john asked,
Would the filter take out wrigglers? I doubt that salt would be a
deterrent; some of the meanest mozzies I've encountered launched
their attack from a brackish lagoon behind a beach."

yes they love brackish water

it could possibly but i reckon that is not the reason why the mossies
don't use the pool to breed in. we don't run the filter as often as
they say to we find it not necessary and want to conserve some power.
i was thinking maybe the salt and or chlorine or together deterred the
beggers?

anyhow most suggestions just me thinking out loud in case something
might fit, got to sound out all options for this unsavory issue your
friends have, can imagine the mess when a pool co' goes belly up. when
we ahd our pool built payments where progressive so as to be sure if
something happened we did not lose money as well. but anyway lets hope
a solution fo the more permanent kind is found for them.

we are having a wet winter also at the moment, bit of a drag realy but
not going to complain, as in short order the dry seasons could return.

is it a slachlor pool? or should i say will it be.

On Mon, 22 Jun 2009 11:26:07 +0000 (UTC), John Savage
wrote:
snipped
With peace and brightest of blessings,

len & bev

--
"Be Content With What You Have And
May You Find Serenity and Tranquillity In
A World That You May Not Understand."

http://www.lensgarden.com.au/

I asked:
Anyone know of an Australian source for the bacteria (BTI) or the
hormone control for mosquito wriggles? I searched online but can't
find any local web suppliers, i.e., in Aust, yet there are plenty of
outlets in the US.

A pool company has left a friend with a half-finished pool, and the
pool and the cratered yard are breeding plenty of mozzies

Painstaking searching :-) has unearthed the following information:

Methoprene is marketed as Altosid, Pre-strike, and (in pellet form)
as Nomoz, the latter being available in ~ $15 quantities from a
couple of .au websites.

Bti products are marketed under: Vectobac, Cybate, Gnatrol, Bactimos,
and Teknar, and at least some of these are available locally but in
bulk quantities (~$300). The Organic Product search link at
http://www.australianorganic.com.au indicates the manufacturer of
Vectobac is Valent Biosciences and it lists a Chatswood (Sydney)
distributor.
--
John Savage (my news address is not valid for email)