I have a large plastic bucket in my garden in which I collect
rainwater for my acid-loving plants. I fill plastic milk-bottles to
store it.
It has filled up with the recent rain.
Today I find that it is teeming with little larvae like mosquito
larvae.
Is there any way I can treat the water to kill them, or do I have to
waste the water?
In our limy water area rain water is preciousand I live in a terraced
house with no downpipe on my building!

Pam in Bristol
pamdotmooreatvirgindotnet

In article
, redclay writes
Put a few drops of dishwashing detergent into the water. It will lower the
surface tension and the little things will drown. It will not hurt your
plants.
Pam Moore wrote in message
.. .
I have a large plastic bucket in my garden in which I collect
rainwater for my acid-loving plants. I fill plastic milk-bottles to
store it.
It has filled up with the recent rain.
Today I find that it is teeming with little larvae like mosquito
larvae.
Is there any way I can treat the water to kill them, or do I have to
waste the water?

Even if you don't treat them, you don't have to waste the water -
they'll die once you put the water on the plants. Your only problem is
if they hatch into mosquitoes before you use the water!

Or you could strain it as you pour it into the bottles.

In our limy water area rain water is preciousand I live in a terraced
house with no downpipe on my building!




--
Kay Easton

Edward's earthworm page:
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/edward/index.htm

Pam Moore wrote:
...
In our limy water area rain water is preciousand I live in a terraced
house with no downpipe on my building!


That shouldn't be too difficult a task for someone with a ladder and a
drill - you neighbours will probably welcome your initiative as they'll then
have less water to dispose of. I lived in a row once where the end terraces
just couldn't cope with the volume.

--
William Tasso

"Pam wrote in message
I have a large plastic bucket in my garden in which I collect
rainwater for my acid-loving plants. I fill plastic milk-bottles to
store it.
It has filled up with the recent rain.
Today I find that it is teeming with little larvae like mosquito
larvae.
Is there any way I can treat the water to kill them, or do I have to
waste the water?
In our limy water area rain water is preciousand I live in a terraced
house with no downpipe on my building!

Get yourself a cheap plastic Tea Strainer. If you have a neighbour with
tropical fish they will love those wrigglers.

--
Bob

www.pooleygreengrowers.org.uk/ about an Allotment site in
Runnymede fighting for it's existence.