A Simple Trick For Removing Mosquito Larvae From Your Birdbath

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Adding a birdbath is one simple hack to get birds to flock to your yard; after all, they need water to drink and to maintain their feathers. They also rely on water to cool off during steamy summer days, as they don't have the ability to sweat the way mammals do. Keeping fresh water in the bath also benefits other wildlife seeking water, including insects. Seeing butterflies or dragonflies at the birdbath may bring a little joy, but that's not the case when mosquitoes discover the water. 

Mosquitoes lay their eggs on or near water sources such as birdbaths, ponds, or even pools of standing water in your yard. Hatched mosquito larvae spend up to two weeks in the water, eating algae and other organic matter. The larvae are those wiggly things that move around in a birdbath or other shallow pools of water; if you see them, it's time to act. After the larval stage, mosquitoes turn into pupae for up to four days, and then they'll emerge from the water as pesky adult mosquitoes.

One of the best ways to cut down on mosquito activity in your yard is to get rid of their larvae. No chemicals are needed to do so, hence there's no potential harm to other organisms or the environment. A natural bacterium called Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bti) kills mosquito larva, and it's readily available online and from garden and pond supply stores. It's safe around pets, fish, and people, and it only targets the larvae of mosquitoes, fungus gnats, and black flies. 

After being applied to an area with standing water, Bti starts to take action. Mosquito larvae eat it and die within a few days, at most. Bti for mosquito control is sold in different forms, such as donut-shaped Mosquito Dunks, tiny chunks called Mosquito Bits from the same company, and water-soluble pouches called Mosquito Beater that eventually melt in the water and disperse the Bti chunks. There's also a liquid option called MICROBE-LIFT BMC Biological Mosquito Control, though the solid formulations seem more common for use in birdbaths and the like. 

One Bti treatment typically lasts a week or longer within the water, which is long enough to eradicate any mosquito larvae. Each product is a little different, so specifics may vary. The downside to solid Bti products is that some of them leave small particles behind, which could clog a birdbath fountain if yours has one. The debris is harmless and listed as "inert ingredients" or "other ingredients" on the product packaging. If there are any other sources of standing water nearby, such as ponds or rain barrels without lids, treat those with Bti also. 

You really should clean the birdbath every few days to prevent algae buildup, which mosquito larvae eat. Even if you don't have time to scrub the bath out that often, dumping the water and replacing it with fresh water will help banish pesky mosquitoes from the birdbath since it disrupts their larval life cycle.