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I stay in Singapore, where mosquitos are a real danger due to dengue. I have a number of plants that need watering, so I am putting in an automated irrigation system. Of course I am cautious that the water tank might become a breading ground for mozzies.

So I was wondering what I could add to my water that would deter mozzies but that would be safe or even beneficial for plants.

Lucas Kauffman
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  • According to this site https://beehabitat.com/2018/02/mosquitos-pest-control/ diatomaceous earth can be used to keep mosquito larvae out of water. I don't know if it really works. I've used DE for lots of other stuff, but not for keeping insects out of water. I might recommend testing it with a bucket of water to see if it's true (before implementing it as a solution). A lot of people use DE with plants. As long as it's not a lot of it, you probably won't notice any ill effects to your plants. (Anyway, I'm not posting this as an answer, since I don't know if it's true.) – Brōtsyorfuzthrāx Jun 25 '19 at 05:56
  • Can you put guppys or other small fish in the storage tank ? They love mosquito larva. – blacksmith37 Jul 10 '19 at 21:48

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The active ingredient in the Mosquito Dunks referred to above is Bti. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) page for it can be found here.

Bti is a biological or a naturally occurring bacterium found in soils. (Bti is short for Bacillus thuringiensis subspecies israelensis.) It contains spores that produce toxins that specifically target and only affect the larvae of the mosquito, blackfly and fungus gnat. EPA has registered five different strains of Bti found in 48 pesticide products that are approved for use in residential, commercial and agricultural settings primarily for control of mosquito larvae.

It is quite effective in preventing mosquito reproduction in the treated water, but will not repel or kill adult mosquitos coming from other areas.

That Idiot
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  • BT is also good to kill caterpillars on vegetables right up to harvest. It will work on anything with an alkaline stomach ( as opposed to an acid stomach ). – blacksmith37 Jul 10 '19 at 21:45
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in the US, there is a product called Mosquito Dunks that would be perfect....don't know if you can find it locally

Tim Holloway
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