Message I posted a while ago didn't get through. I was asking (I
think NAD) what he/she put in the barrels to keep the water from
getting contaminated or breeding mosquitoes w/o harming plants that
drank that water.

Anybody?

HB

Higgs Boson wrote:
Message I posted a while ago didn't get through. I was asking (I
think NAD) what he/she put in the barrels to keep the water from
getting contaminated or breeding mosquitoes w/o harming plants that
drank that water.

Anybody?

HB

I replied. Again, I do not put anything in my rain barrels. My Barrels are
small only 40 gallons and under each of five downspouts. They are open tops
when it rains they just overflow. When it does not rain or i see scum or
bugs on the tops of water, I will top them off with my well water or from
another barrel so it overflows. I will use one barrel at a time. Mosquitoes
are mostly from the drainage ditches or my pond.

I learn to live with them. I do not go out at dusk or early dawn. When the
sun shines the bugs seem to go away. I wear light weight long sleeve shirts
and pants and once in a while spray my clothes with a bug repellant.

In about three weeks the infamous Fish Flies (May Flies) will be more of
nuisance than the mosquitoes. But with all this rain the bugs are bad this
year.

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

In article ,
Nad R wrote:

Higgs Boson wrote:
Message I posted a while ago didn't get through. I was asking (I
think NAD) what he/she put in the barrels to keep the water from
getting contaminated or breeding mosquitoes w/o harming plants that
drank that water.

Anybody?

HB

I replied. Again, I do not put anything in my rain barrels. My Barrels are
small only 40 gallons and under each of five downspouts. They are open tops
when it rains they just overflow. When it does not rain or i see scum or
bugs on the tops of water, I will top them off with my well water or from
another barrel so it overflows. I will use one barrel at a time. Mosquitoes
are mostly from the drainage ditches or my pond.

I learn to live with them. I do not go out at dusk or early dawn. When the
sun shines the bugs seem to go away. I wear light weight long sleeve shirts
and pants and once in a while spray my clothes with a bug repellant.

In about three weeks the infamous Fish Flies (May Flies) will be more of
nuisance than the mosquitoes. But with all this rain the bugs are bad this
year.

Why don't you just put a screen over the top of the barrel? If it is a
wooden barrel, you probably have some old barrel hoops around. Lay one
hoop down. Place the screen over the hoop, and then lay the second hoop
over the first, which will pinch the screen and hold it in place.
--
- Billy

Mad dog Republicans to the right. Democratic spider webs to the left. True conservatives, and liberals not to be found anywhere in the phantasmagoria
of the American political landscape.

America is not broke. The country is awash in wealth and cash.
It's just that it's not in your hands. It has been transferred, in the
greatest heist in history, from the workers and consumers to the banks
and the portfolios of the uber-rich.
http://www.politifact.com/wisconsin/.../michael-moore
/michael-moore-says-400-americans-have-more-wealth-/

Billy wrote:
In article ,
Nad R wrote:

Higgs Boson wrote:
Message I posted a while ago didn't get through. I was asking (I
think NAD) what he/she put in the barrels to keep the water from
getting contaminated or breeding mosquitoes w/o harming plants that
drank that water.

Anybody?

HB

I replied. Again, I do not put anything in my rain barrels. My Barrels are
small only 40 gallons and under each of five downspouts. They are open tops
when it rains they just overflow. When it does not rain or i see scum or
bugs on the tops of water, I will top them off with my well water or from
another barrel so it overflows. I will use one barrel at a time. Mosquitoes
are mostly from the drainage ditches or my pond.

I learn to live with them. I do not go out at dusk or early dawn. When the
sun shines the bugs seem to go away. I wear light weight long sleeve shirts
and pants and once in a while spray my clothes with a bug repellant.

In about three weeks the infamous Fish Flies (May Flies) will be more of
nuisance than the mosquitoes. But with all this rain the bugs are bad this
year.

Why don't you just put a screen over the top of the barrel? If it is a
wooden barrel, you probably have some old barrel hoops around. Lay one
hoop down. Place the screen over the hoop, and then lay the second hoop
over the first, which will pinch the screen and hold it in place.

My home is out in the open, I do not get much leaves or anything else in my
gutters or my cheap plastic barrels. I have inspected my gutters and they
are always clean. I have plants and shrubs next to the barrels so the
overflows does not seems to create any problems. I will often take my
watering can and dip it in the barrels for watering my hanging plants. A
cover is something I have no need for. I should also mention I have a two
foot roof overhang that also cuts down on Floating objects. So far I have
no real problems with my cheap lazy system. The barrels are also on raised
bricks for a cheap plastic bottom spigot for draining them. The plans was
in an issue of Hobby Farm Magazine.

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

"Higgs Boson" wrote in message
...
Message I posted a while ago didn't get through. I was asking (I
think NAD) what he/she put in the barrels to keep the water from
getting contaminated or breeding mosquitoes w/o harming plants that
drank that water.

Anybody?

Here in Australia where David H-S and I both live, collecting rain water in
tanks (cisterns in USian) is common in all rural areas and it's used for
domestic supply (drinking, washing). Whilst these tanks are quite a lot
larger than rain butts, the same thing applies to them as it does to smaller
water holding devices. To avoid getting mosquitoes or dead possums or birds
in your drinking water, you make sure all tank inlets/outlets are screened
or closed in. Water is collected off the house gutters and runs directly
through a pipe straight into the tank or the pipe stops above a screened
hole in the top of the tank. You don't put anything in the tank - you just
exclude light.

Rain water is usually considered to be too high a quality for just plants
and frequently bore (well bore in USian) water is used for plants as it
doesn't have to be as clean as household water and nor does it need to be as
soft.

On Thu, 26 May 2011 14:55:41 -0700 (PDT), Higgs Boson
wrote:

Message I posted a while ago didn't get through. I was asking (I
think NAD) what he/she put in the barrels to keep the water from
getting contaminated or breeding mosquitoes w/o harming plants that
drank that water.

Anybody?

HB


Keeping the roof and roof plumbing clean and the tanks screened works
for me and I drink it. there is no need to start with poisons if
physical barriers work.

D

"FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote:
"Higgs Boson" wrote in message
...
Message I posted a while ago didn't get through. I was asking (I
think NAD) what he/she put in the barrels to keep the water from
getting contaminated or breeding mosquitoes w/o harming plants that
drank that water.

Anybody?

Here in Australia where David H-S and I both live, collecting rain water in
tanks (cisterns in USian) is common in all rural areas and it's used for
domestic supply (drinking, washing). Whilst these tanks are quite a lot
larger than rain butts, the same thing applies to them as it does to smaller
water holding devices. To avoid getting mosquitoes or dead possums or birds
in your drinking water, you make sure all tank inlets/outlets are screened
or closed in. Water is collected off the house gutters and runs directly
through a pipe straight into the tank or the pipe stops above a screened
hole in the top of the tank. You don't put anything in the tank - you just
exclude light.

Rain water is usually considered to be too high a quality for just plants
and frequently bore (well bore in USian) water is used for plants as it
doesn't have to be as clean as household water and nor does it need to be as
soft.

That is a good point. I do not need a cistern. I need just enough extra
water to get through between the rains and it has rained a lot here in the
land of the Great Lakes this month. If there is an extended period of no
rain there is my well system.

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

On May 27, 2:07*am, David Hare-Scott wrote:
On Thu, 26 May 2011 14:55:41 -0700 (PDT), Higgs Boson

wrote:
Message I posted a while ago didn't get through. * I was asking (I
think NAD) what he/she put in the barrels to keep the water from
getting contaminated or breeding mosquitoes w/o harming plants that
drank that water.

Anybody?

HB

Keeping the roof and roof plumbing clean and the tanks screened works
for me and I drink it. *there is no need to start with poisons if
physical barriers work. *

D

Here in New York City the Parks Department gives out free rain
barrels. They have lids into which your downspout can be fitted, and
overflow valves.

It's also illegal to have any open container on your property that can
collect water. I got a ticket for having a puddle in a tire in my
yard. That, btw, was instituted after we started getting West Nile
Fever here.

Chris

On May 26, 5:55*pm, Higgs Boson wrote:
Message I posted a while ago didn't get through. * I was asking (I
think NAD) what he/she put in the barrels to keep the water from
getting contaminated or breeding mosquitoes w/o harming plants that
drank that water.

Anybody?

HB

Mosquito dunks, they kill the larvae and we use them in the fish
pond,
they are safe for the fish. I think the active ingredient is BT. Find
em at
Lower, or Home Depot or maybe at WalMart. Good Luck.

g'day higgs,

take a look at how we do ours scan down page about 1/2 way, we then
use one of thosecigar sahped 12volt bilge pumps with a car battery
pack charger (bought at auto accessories shop) to pump water out with,
the drum could be put on astand and have tap a the bottom, this way no
mossies ever,no evaporation either.

think about putting in a rain wate tank of at least 15k litre capacity
collect a substantial amount of water, our tank is 22.5k/l. water is
important stuff.

On Thu, 26 May 2011 14:55:41 -0700 (PDT), Higgs Boson
wrote:

Message I posted a while ago didn't get through. I was asking (I
think NAD) what he/she put in the barrels to keep the water from
getting contaminated or breeding mosquitoes w/o harming plants that
drank that water.

Anybody?

HB

--

Matthew 25:13 KJV
"Watch therefore, for ye know neither
the day nor the hour wherein the Son
of man cometh"

Mark 13:33 "Take ye heed, watch and pray:
for ye know not when the time is".

and also: Isaiah 38:1&17-18 KJV

1: Thus saith the Lord, set thine house in order: for thou shalt die and not live.
17: for thou hast cast all my sins behind my back.
18: For the grave cannot praise thee, death cannot celebrate thee: they that go down in the pit cannot hope for truth.

len

With peace and brightest of blessings,

"Seek truth and understanding will follow"

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

Chris wrote:

It's also illegal to have any open container on your property that can
collect water. I got a ticket for having a puddle in a tire in my
yard. That, btw, was instituted after we started getting West Nile
Fever here.

Ticket for having a puddle? If my county alone handed tickets for puddles,
the state of Michigan would have a huge budget surplus. No tickets here for
such... I really cannot call it an offense... Tax maybe... I do not even
have to mow my yard if I do not want to, life in the country.

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

On Fri, 27 May 2011 08:32:50 -0700 (PDT), Chris
wrote:

On May 27, 2:07*am, David Hare-Scott wrote:
On Thu, 26 May 2011 14:55:41 -0700 (PDT), Higgs Boson

wrote:
Message I posted a while ago didn't get through. * I was asking (I
think NAD) what he/she put in the barrels to keep the water from
getting contaminated or breeding mosquitoes w/o harming plants that
drank that water.

Anybody?

HB

Keeping the roof and roof plumbing clean and the tanks screened works
for me and I drink it. *there is no need to start with poisons if
physical barriers work. *

D

Here in New York City the Parks Department gives out free rain
barrels. They have lids into which your downspout can be fitted, and
overflow valves.

It's also illegal to have any open container on your property that can
collect water. I got a ticket for having a puddle in a tire in my
yard. That, btw, was instituted after we started getting West Nile
Fever here.

Chris

We used to have similar regulations from some urban local government
taken one step further, you couldn't have any kind of water tank. Now
they have seen the light. [shakes head]

David