Mosquito Dunks

An adequate mosquito control program must not stop at the use of just one method of repelling insects. In other words, you can’t just expect to spray on some Off and kiss your mosquito problems goodbye. Mosquito Dunks are excellent tools in any mosquito control problem; they can be used in combination with large scale and personal insect repellents for protection against mosquito bites and mosquito-borne diseases.

Certain types of mosquito control that target adult insects often fail or give only temporary positive results because there are always new broods waiting to hatch and take the place of the adult insects that have been eliminated. Mosquito Dunks, on the other hand, essentially kill mosquito larvae at their source, before they are able to mature into annoying, biting adults. Combining this strategy with a parallel one that also targets adult mosquitoes results in a much more effective control of mosquito populations.

How to use a Mosquito Dunk, you’re asking? Dunks are small doughnut shaped objects that you place in ponds or standing water (including containers, tires, or other objects that tend to gather water around the home). As they float along the water, they release their active ingredient, which is Bacillus thuringiensis, subspecies israelenses (also called BTI), a bacterium that is highly toxic to mosquito and black fly larvae.

The larval stage is the stage where mosquitoes do most of their eating; since the BTI released by the Dunks settles into the water where larvae are located, they eat it as they would anything in their vicinity. This is a good thing, as BTI must be ingested to have an effect; this is one of the main reasons why this bacterium is only toxic to larvae and not adults. BTI is essentially a long term biological mosquito larvicide that is highly specific and kills larvae before they are able to reach full maturity.

BTI has no effect on fish, plants, people, wildlife, or the environment and Dunks contain no poisonous chemicals. Therefore, you can use these larvicides in lakes, fish ponds, bird baths, unused swimming pools, pet watering bowls, flower pots, horse troughs, and wherever else standing water accumulates and has the possibility of housing a mosquito breeding ground.

Each individual Mosquito Dunk lasts up to 30 days and one Dunk is used per 100 square feet of water; you can also break the Dunk up and use it in pieces. You do need to have patience when waiting to see the results from Mosquito Dunks, as it will take roughly 3 weeks for any noticeable effect, but you won’t be disappointed, as results are long-term.

Siphotrol mosquito larvicide granules are also based on the same idea as Mosquito Dunks, though they don’t contain BTI; these granules contain (S)-Methoprene instead. This chemical has been approved by the EPA for use in animal watering containers and it’s actually recommended to be used when outdoor pet water cannot be changed on a daily basis.