Mosquito larvae in stock tank
Coyote and her Hunter
Anybody have suggestions for or experience with controlling the growth of
'skeeters in a water tank for horses or cattle?
I've thought of using BT (bacillus thuringiensis (sp?)) as is done in
ponds. I've also thought about simply draining, washing and refilling the
tank (difficult, since it's a big tank with no drain outlet).
Thanks in advance for your ideas and comments.
DeeAnna
Corey Lee Bishop
Coyote and her Hunter (coy...@postville.polaristel.net) wrote:
: Anybody have suggestions for or experience with controlling the growth of
Go to your local pet store and buy about 1/2 dozen of feeder goldfish
(usually costs about a buck) and dump them in there. No more mosquitos!
And they will keep the algae down, too.
Sue
--
"Inconceivable!"
You keep using that word. I don' think it means
what you think it means." _The Princess Bride_
"Never underestimate the power of stupidity." Robert Heinlein
hme...@vixen.nrlssc.navy.mil
In Article<coyote-3105...@ossian-1.dialup.polaristel.net>,
<coy...@postville.polaristel.net> write:
> Path:
ra.nrl.navy.mil!news.math.psu.edu!chi-news.cic.net!mr.net!news.mr.net!cronkite.
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> From: coy...@postville.polaristel.net (Coyote and her Hunter)
> Newsgroups: misc.rural
> Subject: Mosquito larvae in stock tank
> Date: Fri, 31 May 1996 10:18:07 -0600
> Organization: Coyote Run Farm
> Lines: 9
> Message-ID: <coyote-3105...@ossian-1.dialup.polaristel.net>
> NNTP-Posting-Host: ossian-1.dialup.polaristel.net
>
> Anybody have suggestions for or experience with controlling the growth of
> 'skeeters in a water tank for horses or cattle?
>
>
try a couple smallfish. usually about 5 / dollar
at your local pet shop ... feederfish
Brooks Van Pelt
coy...@postville.polaristel.net (Coyote and her Hunter) writes:
: Anybody have suggestions for or experience with controlling the growth of
: 'skeeters in a water tank for horses or cattle?
: ponds. I've also thought about simply draining, washing and refilling the
: tank (difficult, since it's a big tank with no drain outlet).
Do what they did in Panama while building the canal: keep an oil film on
the top of the water. The 'skeeters & larvae can't get through it, and can't
get oxygen, and die. It doesn't take much of a film, and the film floats
so the animals don't get the oil.
I'm assuming you really meant a tank, and not a trough...
Brooks
Clifford Brian Odom
: 'skeeters in a water tank for horses or cattle?
: I've thought of using BT (bacillus thuringiensis (sp?)) as is done in
: ponds. I've also thought about simply draining, washing and refilling the
: tank (difficult, since it's a big tank with no drain outlet).
: Thanks in advance for your ideas and comments.
: DeeAnna
Introduce some mosquito fish (Gambusia spp.) into the tank. They will be
more than happy to eat all the larva that may hatch there.
hope this helps,
Brian
--
_______________________________________________________________________________
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
C. Brian Odom, Ph.D.|Bio. Dept.|Alderson-Broaddus College| Philippi, WV 26416
304.457.6277(O) | 304.457.1700(A-B C.) | 304.457.6239(FAX) | 304.457.5915 (H)
----------------...@ab.edu---------------------------------------
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SarahS4151
how about a little bleach in the tank? salt?
voice from the wilderness...
the goats want to be milked
sarah
as far west as the internet gets on the continental u s
SarahS4151
ive heard if you put a thin layer of veg oil on the surface, the larvae
will suffocate
Boon Hughey
coy...@postville.polaristel.net (Coyote and her Hunter) wrote:
>Anybody have suggestions for or experience with controlling the growth of
>'skeeters in a water tank for horses or cattle?
We put half a dozen pet store "feeder" goldfish in our 2x2x5 horse tank
and the larvae disappeared. Around here they sell for .10c each.
This was about 5 years ago, they have never been fed directly, and are
now about 4 or 5 inches long and rather pretty.
=====================================================
Boon Hughey mailto:bo...@fix.net
Atascadero, CA http://www.fix.net/~boon/
=====================================================
bonni mierzejewska
On 31 May 1996 13:40:47 -0400, bis...@erinet.com (Corey Lee Bishop) wrote:
>Go to your local pet store and buy about 1/2 dozen of feeder goldfish
>(usually costs about a buck) and dump them in there. No more mosquitos!
>And they will keep the algae down, too.
All right! A sensible, non-polluting, non-toxic solution.
bonni
coming soon - 1996 IF Competition entry
C++ Turbo Vision archive: http://brooks.wvn.wvnet.edu/tvhome
__ __
IC | XC | bonni mierzejewska "The Lone Quilter"
---+--- | u6...@wvnvm.wvnet.edu
NI | KA | Kelly's Creek Homestead, Maidsville, WV
Bruce Simpson
bvan...@faatcrl.faa.gov (Brooks Van Pelt) wrote:
>Do what they did in Panama while building the canal: keep an oil film on
>the top of the water. The 'skeeters & larvae can't get through it, and can't
>get oxygen, and die. It doesn't take much of a film, and the film floats
>so the animals don't get the oil.
>I'm assuming you really meant a tank, and not a trough...
I've heard the same solution and where drinking water is concerned, a
little vegetable oil will do the trick with no danger to stock or human -
parafin is also pretty harmless I believe.
--------------------------------------------------------------
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internet in NZ and around the world.
http://www.voyager.co.nz/~bsimpson/aardvark.htm
Corey Lee Bishop
Arnold Chamove (A.S.C...@massey.ac.nz) wrote:
: I
: >Anybody have suggestions for or experience with controlling the growth of
: >'skeeters in a water tank for horses or cattle?
: If you suppliment your animals with zink (for bloat or deficiency), just add a
: bit to the water. Insects and fish have a low tollerence to zink and it does
: the animals good. I would suspect that selenium and copper might do the
: same. Here, you buy these three in salt blocks for stock,
NO!!! Be EXTREMELY careful of just dumping chemicals into a water supply.
Animals that do NOT need a supplimental metal such as zinc, selenium or
copper might OD.
: >
: >I've thought of using BT (bacillus thuringiensis (sp?)) as is done in
: >ponds.
: I thought that BT was a bacteria specific to catterpillers?
Why not just use the gold fish? Everyone is making this much too
complicated.
: --
: Arnold Chamove; Massey University Psychology Dept; Palmerston North; N.Z.
: E-mail: A.S.C...@Massey.ac.NZ; FAX: +(64)63505673; Phone: +(64)25460092
: http://WWW.massey.ac.nz/~PsyWeb/staff/Chamove.htm
: - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Arnold Chamove
I
>Anybody have suggestions for or experience with controlling the growth of
>'skeeters in a water tank for horses or cattle?
If you suppliment your animals with zink (for bloat or deficiency), just add a
bit to the water. Insects and fish have a low tollerence to zink and it does
the animals good. I would suspect that selenium and copper might do the
same. Here, you buy these three in salt blocks for stock,
>
>I've thought of using BT (bacillus thuringiensis (sp?)) as is done in
>ponds.
I thought that BT was a bacteria specific to catterpillers?
--
Doug & Rose Miller
+'skeeters in a water tank for horses or cattle?
+
+I've thought of using BT (bacillus thuringiensis (sp?)) as is done in
+ponds. I've also thought about simply draining, washing and refilling the
+tank (difficult, since it's a big tank with no drain outlet).
+
+Thanks in advance for your ideas and comments.
+DeeAnna
Two suggestions:
(1) A teaspoon or so of vegetable oil will form a film on the water which will
cut off the oxygen supply to the larvae, but won't harm your livestock. You may
need to renew the oil every few days for it to be effective.
(2) We use chlorine bleach in our water tank to control algae (1 cup in 200 gallons)
with no ill effects on our horses and goats; a side effect is that it controls insect
larvae also.
Coyote and her Hunter
Thanks to all who responded for your suggestions about controlling skeeter
larvae.
I'm trying the feeder-goldfish idea. It's a solution that's simple,
low-effort, ecological and cheap. The only thing I haven't quite figured
out is where to keep the fish in the winter -- unfortunately, I live in
northeastern Iowa where stock tanks will freeze solid if the tank heater
doesn't work.
The suggestion about using chlorine bleach to control algae and larvae is
another good idea. I'll keep it in reserve if the goldfish can't keep up
with the zillions of larvae in this tank. I promise to take the fish out
before I add any bleach though...
DeeAnna
and the four hooved gang: Frosty, the gaited horse; Tuopen and Sissel,
Norwegian Fjord horses; and Biscuit, the elder pony
Corey Lee Bishop
: larvae.
: I'm trying the feeder-goldfish idea. It's a solution that's simple,
: low-effort, ecological and cheap. The only thing I haven't quite figured
: out is where to keep the fish in the winter -- unfortunately, I live in
: northeastern Iowa where stock tanks will freeze solid if the tank heater
: doesn't work.
You can sell the fish back to the pet store. They will be MUCH bigger
by then!
: The suggestion about using chlorine bleach to control algae and larvae is
: another good idea. I'll keep it in reserve if the goldfish can't keep up
: with the zillions of larvae in this tank. I promise to take the fish out
: before I add any bleach though...
: DeeAnna
: and the four hooved gang: Frosty, the gaited horse; Tuopen and Sissel,
: Norwegian Fjord horses; and Biscuit, the elder pony
Sue
Urocyon
Gambusia spp. is the wild name for guppies. I had both gambusia and
goldfish in my stock tank until this winter, when I lost the gambusia.
The goldfish seem to be controlling the mosquitos quite well. If getting
goldfish or guppies from town is a problem, just tell the local kids you
need some minnows or small sunfish, and they will probably be glad for an
excuse to wade in the streams and ponds with a seine.
Doug.
od...@netcom.com (Clifford Brian Odom) wrote:
>Coyote and her Hunter (coy...@postville.polaristel.net) wrote:
>: Anybody have suggestions for or experience with controlling the growth of
>: 'skeeters in a water tank for horses or cattle?
tyr...@halcyon.com
> Coyote and her Hunter (coy...@postville.polaristel.net) wrote: The only thing I haven't quite figured
> : out is where to keep the fish in the winter -- unfortunately, I live in
> : northeastern Iowa where stock tanks will freeze solid if the tank heater
> : doesn't work.
Go ahead and leave the fishies in the tank... We have some goldfish that have survived
the last 3 winters frozen solid... They just thaw out and go on with thier little fishy lives...
--
EOT
Steve Thomas
coy...@postville.polaristel.net (Coyote and her Hunter) wrote:
>I'm trying the feeder-goldfish idea. It's a solution that's simple,
>low-effort, ecological and cheap. The only thing I haven't quite figured
>out is where to keep the fish in the winter -- unfortunately, I live in
>northeastern Iowa where stock tanks will freeze solid if the tank heater
>doesn't work.
Hi, Coyote! LTNS!
The last time I was in a tropical fish store, feeder goldfish were
five for a dollar. If, when things thaw out in the spring, your
goldfish have learned how to float on their backs, give them a decent
burial next to some sweet corn seed.
TSalveson
Does anyone know if the Ponds List is still active? We havea 1/4 acre
pond fed by a seasonal creek and there's lots of water in it right now...I
was also thinking of the BT or BTI to control mosquito larvae. Has anyone
used it? thanks.
Boon Hughey
coy...@postville.polaristel.net (Coyote and her Hunter) wrote:
>I'm trying the feeder-goldfish idea. It's a solution that's simple,
>low-effort, ecological and cheap. The only thing I haven't quite figured
>out is where to keep the fish in the winter -- unfortunately, I live in
>northeastern Iowa where stock tanks will freeze solid if the tank heater
>doesn't work.
Come autumn when the mosquitos have gone to bed for the season, just scoop the
fishies out of the tank with a collander and put 'em in a nice bowl on the kitchen table.
If you have children, they'd love to handle this project.
Just yesterday I bought 6 feeder fish at WalMart to populate a new burro tank. They
set me back a whopping .10 cents apiece.
STEPHEN DALL
There is a small fish that the Madera County CA mosquito abatement
district uses in water troughs and ponds to control mosquitos. Call or
write them and they may be able to help you out.
Mosquitos bug me!
Steve
Tanker 06
In article <4onauv$4...@eri.erinet.com>, bis...@erinet.com (Corey Lee
Bishop) writes:
>Go to your local pet store and buy about 1/2 dozen of feeder goldfish
>(usually costs about a buck) and dump them in there. No more mosquitos!
>And they will keep the algae down, too.
That'd work for at least a day or two until the cats found the free
buffet
set out for them! :) (Actually, the entertainment factor of watching the
cats
try to catch one of the fish in the cattletrough might be worth the
occasional
trip into town to stock up on more fish!) ;^)
Jerry
Tank...@aol.com
-
For those who have fought for it, freedom has a taste
that the sheltered will never know.
USA Vet, 1985-1993 Panama/Desert Storm
----
In memory of Lt. Tina Ricca
1966- 1993
My partner, my best friend and more
Mac
Coyote and her Hunter wrote:
. The only thing I haven't quite figured
> out is where to keep the fish in the winter -- unfortunately, I live in
> northeastern Iowa where stock tanks will freeze solid if the tank heater
> doesn't work.
Koi (those bigger goldfish that you see in ornamental ponds) have often
been known to winter over in and under the ice. In the spring they thaw
and go back to doing their job: Looking good and eating insects.
- Mac
Clifford Brian Odom
Urocyon (mrus...@ix.netcom.com) wrote:
: Gambusia spp. is the wild name for guppies. I had both gambusia and
: The goldfish seem to be controlling the mosquitos quite well. If getting
: goldfish or guppies from town is a problem, just tell the local kids you
: need some minnows or small sunfish, and they will probably be glad for an
: excuse to wade in the streams and ponds with a seine.
: Doug.
Actually the "scientific" name for guppies is Poecilia reticulata. Gambusia
do look alot like guppies, but are not the same. Guppies wouldn't work
well for this application, their mouths are too small.