Effective Pond Management Strategies to Reduce Mosquitoes and Protect Your Community

May 1, 2018

Restoring Balance. Enhancing Beauty.

Joe Onorato

Business Development Consultant

Mosquitoes: A Threat To Your Community

• The recent spotlight on Zika virus has caused communities and associations to seek more information on the health effects of the disease and what they can do to protect their residents.

Common Concerns

• Nuisance

• Disease

• Resident complaints

• Property values

Mosquitoes: A Threat To Your Community

• West Nile Virus

• Eastern Equine Encephalitis

• Malaria

• Yellow Fever

• Dog Heartworm

Within the United States, mosquitoes transmit a number of debilitating and sometimes deadly diseases to humans. Those known to occur within New England include:

Mosquitoes: A Threat To Your Community

• 176 species known to the USA

• Not all can carry diseases

• Mosquitoes feed on plant nectar

• Only females drink blood

• Blood meals used for egg production

Mosquito Life Cycle

Where To Find Mosquitoes Within Your Community

Depending on the type of species, mosquitoes will breed and deposit their eggs in almost all forms of shallow, stagnant water:

• Stormwater ponds

• Potholes and puddles

• Flower pots

• Buckets and containers

Where To Find Mosquitoes Within Your Community

Stormwater management facilities and community ponds are one of the most common breeding sites of mosquito communities due to the lack of water flow.

Mosquito Pond Habitats

• Reduced Depths

• Invasive Plant Growth

• Dense Algae

• Stagnant

• Few predators

Natural Mosquito Management Solutions

• Aeration

• Fish Stocking

• Buffer Management

• Educate Residents

Natural Solutions: Aeration

• Promotes water movement and oxygenation

• Increases beneficial bacteria

• Reduces pond nutrients

• Prevents fish kills

• Low maintenance

• Types – Floating fountains

– Submersed diffused aerators

– Solar-powered

Stocking fish is another effective way to feed on mosquito larvae and help control mosquitoes around your lake or pond.

• Fathead Minnows

• Bluegill

Natural Solutions: Fish Stocking

• Knowing the proper species, sizes and quantity of fish to stock, and the best time of year to do so, is key.

• The type of fish used depends on the conditions of the waterbody as well as state regulations.

Natural Solutions: Fish Stocking

Natural Solutions: Buffer Management

• Planting beneficial vegetation, like swamp milkweed and arrowhead, can provide habitat for mosquito predators like dragonflies.

• Beneficial vegetation also helps to filter excess nutrients from entering the water, maintain shoreline stability, and prevent erosion and sedimentation.

Natural Solutions: Buffer Management

• Effective buffer zones include a mix of native plants:• Aquatic grasses

• Sedges and rushes

• Beneficial flowering species

• Upland plants

• Beneficial species include:• Blueflag Iris

• Cardinal Flower

• Pickerelweed

• Duck Potato or Arrowhead

• Swamp Milkweed

Natural Solutions: Buffer Management

• Flowering plants, grasses and rushes should extend 3-5 feet from the shoreline and never be mowed.

• Effective buffers can grow up to 18 inches tall and may be trimmed annually.

• Overgrown vegetation and undesirable aquatic plants, such as cattails, provide resting areas for mosquitoes and should be managed or removed.

• Communities can also implement a large-scale Integrated Mosquito Management (IMM) program which typically includes:

• Public Education

• Surveillance

• Disease Testing

• Larval and Adult Mosquito Control

• Each step is essential to help prevent mosquito bites and transition of serious diseases.

Integrated Mosquito Management (IMM)

• Even if you live in an area with low risk of Zika or West Nile virus, mosquitoes are a royal pain that nobody wants to deal with.

• While mosquitoes are an annoyance and a hazard, they can be mitigated against by limiting and managing their breeding habitats in your community stormwater ponds.

Final Thoughts

Please Share Your TakeawaysThank you!

Restoring Balance. Enhancing Beauty.

Joe Onorato

Business Development Consultant