dorishaslop

Hi all, I have a neighbour who keeps ducks and geese, and right outside the back of my kitchen he has sunk two baths into the ground...and they are full of stagnant water which is attracting hoards of mozzies and also wasps by the dozen. From what the neighbours say he never actually uses them, He is deaf and has trouble communicating, I tried telling him that they were not nice and he put some powder in which helped for about a week but they are back with a vengeance now. is there anything I can put in which will kill the mozzies and the wasps but not the birds that seem to drink it too.. I have put bird saucers out for water which I clean every day and they are using them.

Dick Dasterdly

Tough one Doris, very difficult to achieve such a fine balance I would imagine.

Short of nicking the bath-plugs or sabotaging them, the only thing I can think off is Lejia which is basically a mild bleach and can be used in a very diluted form to purify drinking water, however wether it will be enough to have the desired effect I don't know for sure.

Maybe Fred will have some ideas ?

notacontrathinker

The traditional method is to add a couple of drops of olive oil (any cooking oil will do really). This breaks up the surface tension of the water and the mosquitoes can't land. Also if there are any mosquito larvae in the water, the water will enter their breathing tubes and they will drown.

dorishaslop

that seems reasonable.. I'll try that tomorrow.. thanks xx

notacontrathinker

What with you sticking 5 litres of acid down your drains and now offering to bleach a duck pond, what other ideas have you up your sleeve for sabotaging the Sub-Iberian Aquifers ? A plutonium solution to flush out the sewers ?

Dick Dasterdly

Never believed in half measures.
If a jobs worth doing it's worth doing right, as my old man used to say.

What I said about Lejia is correct and it can be used for purifying drinking water in the correct dilution rate of course.

Maybe another few ltrs of Aguafuerte down the drain tomorrow, just beginning to pong a wee bit for the first time since the last dose.

I hear it's very good stuff for disposing of dead bodies as well by the way.
Saw a case about a guy in the UK who just melted them away in a barrel full of strong acid and sent them on their way down the drain, so if you have any nasty neighbours that are p!ssing you off a bit...............

....Aguafuerte's your man..

Arizona Wurzel

> ubject: mosquito trap
>
>
> Have you noticed the Mosquitos are already out! Here is a homemade trap to help keep you and the kiddos from being a blood donor!!! HOMEMADE MOSQUITO TRAP: Items needed: 1 cup of water 1/4 cup of brown sugar 1 gram of yeast 1 2-liter bottle HOW: 1. Cut the plastic bottle in half. 2. Mix brown sugar with hot water. Let cool. When cold, pour in the bottom half of the bottle. 3. Add the yeast. No need to mix. It creates carbon dioxide, which attracts mosquitoes. 4. Place the funnel part, upside down, into the other half of the bottle, taping them together if desired. 5. Wrap the bottle with something black, leaving the top uncovered, and place it outside in an area away from your normal gathering area. (Mosquitoes are also drawn to the color black.) Change the solution every 2 weeks for continuous control.
> Have you noticed the Mosquitos are already out! Here is a homemade trap to help keep you and the kiddos from being a blood donor!!!
>
> HOMEMADE MOSQUITO TRAP:
> Ite...ms needed:
> 1 cup of water
> 1/4 cup of brown sugar
> 1 gram of yeast
> 1 2-liter bottle
>
> HOW:
> 1. Cut the plastic bottle in half.
> 2. Mix brown sugar with hot water. Let cool. When cold, pour in the bottom half of the bottle.
> 3. Add the yeast. No need to mix. It creates carbon dioxide, which attracts mosquitoes.
> 4. Place the funnel part, upside down, into the other half of the bottle, taping them together if desired.
> 5. Wrap the bottle with something black, leaving the top uncovered, and place it outside in an area away from your normal gathering area. (Mosquitoes are also drawn to the color black.)
>
> Change the solution every 2 weeks for continuous control.

Hypnochicky

Yes, there is an easy answer. Just put a drop of petrol into the water, this will kill the larvae and shouldnt hurt the ducks.

Hypnochicky

Put a drop of petrol in the water, this will kill the larvae and shouldn't hurt the ducks.

Dick Dasterdly

Providing of course you chase them well out of the way before striking the match.

dorishaslop

sounds like a good idea... but my car has an anti syphoning thingy... dammit !! good advice though...

pete_l

Isn't this sort of thing what a denuncia is for?

Dick Dasterdly

That's not being very diplomatic towards a pleasant friendly old neighbour.

After reading all that's gone before, I would suggest just going the whole hog and lobbing a couple of sticks of dynamite over the fence.

End of problem, end of nuisance neighbour as well maybe.

They won't for one single minute believe that you did it Doris, just point the finger at Al Qaeda or maybe those evil Basques from up North.

Hino

Buy a couple of goldfish and give them a new home

Also make sure that the mozzies are not breeding on your property as well as the neighbours. Plants in pots with floor stands can attract them, certain types of plants like Gravillias (Sp ), are mozzie heaven and a blocked or wrongly sloped gutter will ensure a good supply of the little buggers. Any source of standing water will ensure a good mozzie supply.

I'm in Oz and when I first arrived the mozzies would almost carry me away, I now seem to have developed a resistance to the beggars and they hardly bother me at all...........I hope that your 'resistance' kicks in soon

Dick Dasterdly

Sound advice.

With regard to personal mossie attacks many people, myself incl, find that eating lots of garlic helps to deter them.