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pond, mosquitoes & DDT - potential neighbour dispute
Hi
Grateful for advice or to hear from anyone who has experience of similar situation. I have a pond in my garden. My neighbour is concerned that at dusk the pond attracts mosquitoes, which then go off to their house and bite them. I think they have suffered allergic reations to the bites. They have suggested spraying DDT to kill the mosquitoes. Here's the state of the pond: * No pump * Full of oxygenating plants & netted in winter to keep leaves out, so water not a stagnant soup * Full of tadpoles, pond skaters, damselflies, a few ramshorn snails, other critters * No sighting of mosquito larvae Our gardens back onto a little nature reserve which has a pond about 15 sq feet. Again, this is full of tadpoles, clean looking, no mosquito larvae attached to the surface. It seems to me that there is no action to be taken over mosquitoes breeding in the pond because I can't see the larvae in the water. Is that correct? Is there anything I can do to stop them congregating at dusk. Place a mosquito net over the pond? When the mosquiroes fly close to the surfaceof the pond, are they drinking water from the pond? Are there any targetted sprays, organic products etc that will deal with this. There'll be no point havin a pond if DDT goes in there. Any research or studies that have gone into this kind of thing that show applying DDT is a silly thing to do? Thanks v much Jez Phillips |
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pond, mosquitoes & DDT - potential neighbour dispute
"Jez Phillips" wrote in message = ... snip AFAIK DDT is banned in the UK??=20 Is there any possibility there is another source for the Mozzies? As you = say, it may not be your pond that's supplying them but another source = nearby..... |
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pond, mosquitoes & DDT - potential neighbour dispute
In article , "Jez Phillips" writes: | | Grateful for advice or to hear from anyone who has experience of similar | situation. Yes, I have known people like that. It is they who are the problem. | I have a pond in my garden. My neighbour is concerned that at dusk the pond | attracts mosquitoes, which then go off to their house and bite them. I think | they have suffered allergic reations to the bites. Unlikely. Suggest that they fumigate their house against fleas and bedbugs :-) Seriously, do they have a pet? There are also lots of flying insects that are more likely to cause a reaction than mosquitoes. | They have suggested spraying DDT to kill the mosquitoes. That figures. | It seems to me that there is no action to be taken over mosquitoes breeding | in the pond because I can't see the larvae in the water. Is that correct? No. There would be little point in action even if you could see them. | Is there anything I can do to stop them congregating at dusk. Place a | mosquito net over the pond? | | When the mosquiroes fly close to the surfaceof the pond, are they drinking | water from the pond? They are unlikely to be mosquitoes, though they could be. Most insects that flock above ponds don't bite; most of those that do aren't mosquitoes. | Are there any targetted sprays, organic products etc that will deal with | this. There'll be no point havin a pond if DDT goes in there. Effectively, no. You can kill mosquito larvae FAIRLY harmlessly by dropping some edible oil on the water, but it does reduce the oxygenation of the water. | Any research or studies that have gone into this kind of thing that show | applying DDT is a silly thing to do? Thousands. Using DDT has been illegal in the UK for many decades. Regards, Nick Maclaren. |
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pond, mosquitoes & DDT - potential neighbour dispute
Jez Phillips wrote:
Hi Grateful for advice or to hear from anyone who has experience of similar situation. snip Pond or no pond there are always mozzies they will breed in the water in a plant pot tray. You can't live your life for other people. |
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pond, mosquitoes & DDT - potential neighbour dispute
"Jez Phillips" wrote in message = ... | Hi |=20 | Grateful for advice or to hear from anyone who has experience of = similar | situation. |=20 | I have a pond in my garden. My neighbour is concerned that at dusk the = pond | attracts mosquitoes, which then go off to their house and bite them. I = think | they have suffered allergic reations to the bites. |=20 | They have suggested spraying DDT to kill the mosquitoes. |=20 | Here's the state of the pond: | * No pump | * Full of oxygenating plants & netted in winter to keep leaves out, so = water | not a stagnant soup | * Full of tadpoles, pond skaters, damselflies, a few ramshorn snails, = other | critters | * No sighting of mosquito larvae |=20 | Our gardenssnip Just had a look at a site that states that mozzies have a flying range = of 300yds from 'home', and can breed in as little as a teaspoon of = water!=20 I suggest the neighbours hunt around in a 300 yard radius for all = sources of stagnant water (it'd be ironic if the source was in their = garden!) see: http://tinyurl.com/d9eo It also suggests a way of dealing with them (ecologically sound)... |
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pond, mosquitoes & DDT - potential neighbour dispute
"Jez Phillips" wrote in message ... Hi Grateful for advice or to hear from anyone who has experience of similar situation. I have a pond in my garden. My neighbour is concerned that at dusk the pond attracts mosquitoes, which then go off to their house and bite them. I think they have suffered allergic reations to the bites. snip I have a certain sympathy with your neighbours in that I suffer from an alergic reaction to mosquito bites and I know it is the mozzies doing it from various bits of evidence - including the vivd red splash on the wall when they have been caught after the fact. :-(. Have caught them in mid-bite (or second munch) and seen the site of the bite swell up immediately with an alergic reaction. Having said that, they are way out of order if they try to load the blame on you. As has been pointed out elsewhere mozzies breed in any piece of water, however small. If you can't see them wiggling in your pond, then the pond is probably clear. Probably the least likely place for mozzies as it is full of predators. One likely candidate is water butts - I know we get larvae in ours. Rainwater guttering with the wrong slope can also form little stagnant pools in the summer. Have they approached all properties surrounding theirs (not sure of the maximum range of a mozzie but it is probably more than one garden's width) and asked the entire neighbourhood to spray all their gardens with DDT (not just ponds but any corner likely to have as much as a teacup of stagnant water)? If so, I would like to see them take it further - the publicity alone should be well worth watching. Suggesting this could also be a useful ploy to divert and dilute attention. If they are just picking on you because they have seen your pond then they should research more and understand the breeding cycle of mosquitoes. They should also take steps to protect themselves e.g. by wearing insect repellant and suitable clothing, and using insect screens in the house to keep mozzies out, before bothering their neighbours. Leave your pond alone - it is a haven to wildlife and a much needed resource. If they are keen on using illegal and dangerous insecticides then let them spray inside their own house. I suspect that they may be harking back to the major push years ago in Sicily (I think) to eradicate Malaria by spraying all open water on the island with DDT to kill off all the mozzies. AFAIR it worked but the collateral damage must have been huge. Would I be right in assuming that these people are somewhat elderly? If tact and diplomacy fails completely, then invite them to sue - they should have no chance whatsoever of getting a decision in their favour. Don't be bullied by the ignorant. Even if you complied with their wishes you would have to spray on an ongoing regular basis as otherwise the pond would be open to recolonisation from other areas of water. To the barricades!! Dave R |
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pond, mosquitoes & DDT - potential neighbour dispute
On Mon, 2 Jun 2003 10:30:36 +0100, "Jez Phillips"
wrote: It seems to me that there is no action to be taken over mosquitoes breeding in the pond because I can't see the larvae in the water. Is that correct? I'd think so. Goldfish etc. take care of the larvae effectively, and some insect do so as well. Rather than spraying DDT, which is banned in most/all of the world AFAIK and pretty unavailable, you could consider floating "BT" rings sold for the purpose, at least in the US. Information is available online -- these are thingummies that contain "bacillus thuringiensis" toxins that are supposedly harmful to mosquito larvae, but not to other pond life. Or download the directions for such a ring, give them to your neighbor, and toss a styrofoam ring into the water. Maybe add a goldfish if you want to look at one. Likely just as effective... Thomas Prufer |
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pond, mosquitoes & DDT - potential neighbour dispute
"David W.E. Roberts" wrote in message ... Have they approached all properties surrounding theirs (not sure of the maximum range of a mozzie but it is probably more than one garden's width) and asked the entire neighbourhood to spray all their gardens with DDT (not just ponds but any corner likely to have as much as a teacup of stagnant water)? Hmm well you ought to try the Scottish midgies. We have no water near us and yet they congregate around our tree and eat my better half to bits. I am not sure I undertand why not me because I have been a target all my life, AND I am allergic to their bites. Maybe I have become pickled with all that delicious G&T Years ago I lived in Malta and when I was pregnant the (real) mozzies ate me to bits. So the point of all this is, that I believe water attracts mozzies but certainly not exclusively! Ophelia In the land of the monster midgy |
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pond, mosquitoes & DDT - potential neighbour dispute
"Cupra" wrote in message | | Just had a look at a site that states that mozzies have a flying range of 300yds from 'home', and can breed in as little as a teaspoon of water! I suggest the neighbours hunt around in a 300 yard radius for all sources of stagnant water (it'd be ironic if the source was in their garden!) Quite! We have a large pond but I have never seen a mozzy lavae in it, because we keep fish. Seen lots in our rain barrels though, and lots in a neighbours garden because he's untidy and leaves water holding things, like buckets, plant troughs, trays, about so they fill with rain water. Perhaps they too have similar in their garden. Now you presumable want to keep your wildlife pond and would not wish to introduce one of the larger species of fish so may I suggest Sticklebacks to take care of any larvae there may be. Finally, I too suffer badly from some insect bites and therefore wear a good insect repellent containing DEET, perhaps you could suggest they do to. Their mention of DDT says a lot for their age and their ignorance. :-) -- Bob www.pooleygreengrowers.org.uk/ about an Allotment site in Runnymede fighting for it's existence. |
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pond, mosquitoes & DDT - potential neighbour dispute
"Jez Phillips" wrote:
Hello Jez JP I have a pond in my garden. My neighbour is concerned that JP at dusk the pond attracts mosquitoes, which then go off to JP their house and bite them. I think they have suffered JP allergic reations to the bites. JP They have suggested spraying DDT to kill the mosquitoes. Not only unavailable for 20+ years, it'll kill all your wildlife in and around your pond. JP Here's the state of the pond: JP * No pump JP * Full of oxygenating plants & netted in winter to keep JP leaves out, so water not a stagnant soup JP * Full of tadpoles, pond skaters, damselflies, a few JP ramshorn snails, other critters JP * No sighting of mosquito larvae Any fish? Fish love mozzie larvae, but they're pretty obvious things so if you aren't seeing them then they're unlikely to be there. JP It seems to me that there is no action to be taken over JP mosquitoes breeding in the pond because I can't see the JP larvae in the water. Is that correct? Sounds right to me. JP Is there anything I can do to stop them congregating at JP dusk. Place a mosquito net over the pond? Naw. They sit or swarm in cool shady spots during the day, which could be anywhere. JP When the mosquiroes fly close to the surfaceof the pond, are JP they drinking water from the pond? They'll settle on the surface to lay eggs, but that's about it. JP Are there any targetted sprays, organic products etc that JP will deal with this. There'll be no point havin a pond if JP DDT goes in there. Nothing that's effective, and anyway, you don't have larvae in your pond, right? JP Any research or studies that have gone into this kind of JP thing that show applying DDT is a silly thing to do? Plenty. Google's your friend. What I have got to ask is WHY are you going to all this trouble? Mozzies will exist anywhere - point out to your neighbour that he probably has more larvae in his guttering than you have in your pond. You are under NO obligation to do anything about them - if someone has an allergic reaction to mozzie bites then WHY THE HELL ARE THEY OUTSIDE AT NIGHT? -- Simon Avery, Dartmoor, UK Ý http://www.digdilem.org/ |
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pond, mosquitoes & DDT - potential neighbour dispute
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pond, mosquitoes & DDT - potential neighbour dispute
Sue & Bob Hobden wrote: Now you presumable want to keep your wildlife pond and would not wish to introduce one of the larger species of fish so may I suggest Sticklebacks to take care of any larvae there may be. Finally, I too suffer badly from some insect bites and therefore wear a good insect repellent containing DEET, perhaps you could suggest they do to. Unfortunately sticklebacks can be just as destructive to wildlife as larger fish. They'll certainly take out newt tadpoles. Anita |
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pond, mosquitoes & DDT - potential neighbour dispute
martin wrote in message You can kill mosquito larvae by pouring a few drops of olive oil onto the surface of the pond. The oil blocks the larvae's snorkels. probably the most ecologically sound method if you don't have fish. I always have some of those allergy tablets like Clarityn or Pirotin, and take them for a few days after being exposed to insect bites, Certainly stops them itching and they don't develop into huge swellings. Mike www.british-naturism.org.uk |
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pond, mosquitoes & DDT - potential neighbour dispute
Anita wrote in message after Bob wrote: Now you presumable want to keep your wildlife pond and would not wish to introduce one of the larger species of fish so may I suggest Sticklebacks to take care of any larvae there may be. Finally, I too suffer badly from some insect bites and therefore wear a good insect repellent containing DEET, perhaps you could suggest they do to. Unfortunately sticklebacks can be just as destructive to wildlife as larger fish. They'll certainly take out newt tadpoles. True they will eat tadpoles and other creatures, that's nature which is what a wildlife pond is all about, but they would only take a few a day unlike, say, a full grown Koi that would simply hoover them and everything else up, plants and all. -- Bob www.pooleygreengrowers.org.uk/ about an Allotment site in Runnymede fighting for it's existence. |
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