mosquito lavae in the water tank

I have a water tank that I use for the stock water.. It has a small opening at the top to get the water in there that I can't close off (very interesting water system that isn't easy to remedy) so I've now got mozzie lavae in there.

How do I kill them off without ruining the water? Was it oil or dishwash liquid I am supposed to put in there? (hope it's not dishwash - that will taste horrible...[xx(] )

dont think i would go for either of those what about chlorine or bleach, my horses happily drink out of our swimming pool which has both chlorine and salt in it!

goldfish would eat the larvae, a lot of people put them in their troughs to keep them clean, or a small fish i have called the mosquito fish, probably because it eats the larvae and it does keep water clean

Mosquito fish are gambusia and are an introduced pest fish to NZ as they also eat the larvae of some of our native species. They are quite aggressive in their behaviour, hence the success in spreading through some NZ rivers and lakes. For this reason it is illegal to breed or distribute them, so be careful with those you do have.

Goldfish would successfully deal with mosquito, but the tank does not sound like a very good place to put fish. I therefore would add a little fine oil to the water, since this will largely stay on the top of the tank and ought to smother the majority of the mosquito larvae.

Stikkibeek;402153 wrote:
Goldfish would successfully deal with mosquito, but the tank does not sound like a very good place to put fish. I therefore would add a little fine oil to the water, since this will largely stay on the top of the tank and ought to smother the majority of the mosquito larvae.

Straying off topic, but about 20 yrs ago I went on a tour through the water treatment works here in Hamilton, and they kept Goldfish in large tanks of the treated water - they were used as a test of water quality!!!! I remember the guys comment was "If the fish start keeling over, the water's not right to drink!"[xx(]

As a beer drinking friend of mine says, "You can't drink water fish sh*t in it."

Oil, even a teaspoon would give a cover to the water that the larvae can't breathe through.

I've heard "a cap full of kerosine"

Wouldn't hurt for stock water if the tank was full

thanks everyone.. think I might try the teaspoon of oil.. at least that won't be toxic... being a smallish metal tank I'd hate to cook goldfish and I don't think it would be nice for them.

One thing to remember with the oil or kerosene added to tanks to control mosquitoes... when it rains and the tank fills and over flows, the oil or kerosene will exit with the overflow water... and will need replacing.

Is there no way of screening off the inlet??
Just a thought... the overflow outlet may need screening off as well, if it is not already.

Belle Rosse thats a good point. I remember now a friend has the same problem and I suggested that she got either a very fine shade cloth or frost cloth and cut a hole for the pipe then gathered it and tied it with bailing twine around the pipe and then ditto around the whole of her open tank. It would stop all kinds of critters, four legged, flying etc

If the water is only for stock, why worry? It probably has just as many larvae in the actual troughs they drink from.

sadly it's not for the stock's protection but for me when I'm down there working I'd prefer to come back intact... I'm trying to get rid of as many mossie's as possible around the property...

Im with you 3 girls, keep up the good work!!
Mosquitoes are not my favourite insect either. From my perspective, sitting beside a full grown tiger is far safer than being bitten by a mosquito!

My childhood was spent in Malaria country. I've had my share and gotten rid of it.
I have since visited places where various mosquitoes carry Malaria, Chloroquine resistant Malaria, Dengue Fever, Falairas, Ross River Fever, Japanese Encephalitis and Chikunga Fever.
I have cared for someone recovering from Cerebral Malaria, (it can kill quickly). I have witnessed Dengue Fever complications kill an otherwise healthy young man.
Where Im staying is Malaria free, but Dengue is carried by the daytime mosquitoes... so avoiding mosquito bites year round is top priority and especially, now it's the wet season!

Seven years ago I spent 6 months with remote village-level health education encouraging the lovely people of Vanuatu to go around their villages and gardens and empty every source of still water that mosquitoes breed in... beached canoes, leaf litter, palm frond ends, tins, bottles, broken buckets, bowls, drums, half coconut shells, rubbish, plastic items, drain the puddles or fill them in, etc.
They were encouraged to use mosquito nets at night as well. The government Dispensaries were distributing the nets, working with a Falairas eradication program, dealing with dengue and malaria. In some villages there were no dispensaries available.
Where there were no rubbish facilities we encouraged them to burn, or dig a pit, or bury the rubbish to control both flies and mosquitoes.
Water sources like tanks; if they couldnt screen them, to use Kerosene on the surface or make fitting lids for them. Such is life in a developing country...

Thankfully, New Zealand doesnt have the main mosquitoes that carry serious diseases.
Unfortunately, that makes most New Zealanders not "mosquito aware", and the mosquito is regarded as harmless biting pest... it has a darker side!

Bella.. I agree we are sooo lucky to live in NZ where we are relatively safe but I hear that close to ports problems are starting to occur with 'imported' mozzie's so we really can't afford to be slack about this.. I'm well away from those areas but I suffer from bites really badly so who wants to have that if it can be avoided..