CouchHatter
Hazard to Others
Posts: 146
Registered: 28-10-2017
Location: yes
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water additive to stop mosquitoes
I have a pest problem, and while I can think of several chemical solutions, none of them meet all my criteria.
I have a sink converted to a recirculating aspirator, and so there are 3-5 gallons of standing water when not in use. I put 1/4 tsp of bleach in it
before but that caused some foaming. I want it to
- kill the mosquito larvae while in the sink aspirator,
- react minimally with anything I'm distilling under vacuum,
- not be a hazard to the other wildlife when I want to drain some water,
- not encourage the ice to melt or lower the freezing temp of the water, and
- not evaporate appreciably below 80ºC.
Google suggests dish soap or shampoo, both VERY foamy. I can live with a little bit of inefficient bubbles, but thought there might be a simple
solution I'm overlooking. Anything else come to mind? Maybe I should just run it shortly for twice a week - surely they can't last in the turbulence
of a 3/4 HP pump.
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Sulaiman
International Hazard
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I think that adding some methanol to the water kills the larvae,
or you could use a u.v. lamp to prevent algae which I believe is their food source.
The easiest and most environmentally responsible method would be to ensure that mosquitos cannot get to the water !
Cover the tank with a lid or netting.
CAUTION : Hobby Chemist, not Professional or even Amateur
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WGTR
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Maybe a tiny bit of copper sulfate?
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4640347/
It shouldn’t take much at all, less than a ppm.
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BromicAcid
International Hazard
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Location: Wisconsin
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I use Mosquito Dunks in my backyard pond. They are a bacteria toxic to mosquito larvae. They do leave some particulates though when they dissolve.
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draculic acid69
International Hazard
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Registered: 2-8-2018
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Is borax any good for this?
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rockyit98
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycBv24djPDM
3 DIY Mosquito Trap Comparison
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TD64209
Harmless
Posts: 13
Registered: 12-6-2019
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I'll second the mosquito dunk recommendation, takes care of gnats too iirc.
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unionised
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Registered: 1-11-2003
Location: UK
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Mood: No Mood
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Enough washing soda or rust remover to push the pH too high or too low for the larvae.
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