updated: I dumped the standing water/mosquito larvae in a drain archived

No idea what a "dunk" is but I have heard that bleach (full strength) or dish detergent is useful in stopping the buggers from developing.

The dunk should kill them, but I would just eliminate the standing water ASAP. Is this something you can prevent from re-filling?

marcsiry - I didn't realize that our firepit screen (should be dome shaped) was damaged - when I empty & take off cover, no more water...just wondering if draining them will keep the current swimming thing from becoming flying/biting things or if I should kill them before draining

There is a contractor's yard behind our house, and there is the permanent fixture of an open dumpster. I think that is why we have such awful mosquito problems. Don't know what to do. We have asked that he do something about this, buy no luck so far

Go to the petstore and ask for a mosquito cube or order it from the internet

Bti is a bacteria that controls mosquito and black flies in their larval filter feeding stage of development. The mosquito larvae die after consuming the bacteria that causes a disease specific to them but are harmless to all other forms of wildlife.

http://www.arbico-organics.com/product/mosquito-dunks-20-pack/pest-solver-guide-mosquitoes

orzabelle said:

There is a contractor's yard behind our house, and there is the permanent fixture of an open dumpster. I think that is why we have such awful mosquito problems. Don't know what to do. We have asked that he do something about this, buy no luck so far

I'd call the town & county but meanwhile, throw dunks/what pixi mentions above into the container

I wonder also if the containers have holes to let out water?

orzabelle said:

There is a contractor's yard behind our house, and there is the permanent fixture of an open dumpster. I think that is why we have such awful mosquito problems. Don't know what to do. We have asked that he do something about this, buy no luck so far

by the way I think by health department code law a dumpster has to have a lid.

Build and install a bat house. They eat something like 2000 mosquitoes a day.

doulamomma said:

marcsiry - I didn't realize that our firepit screen (should be dome shaped) was damaged - when I empty & take off cover, no more water...just wondering if draining them will keep the current swimming thing from becoming flying/biting things or if I should kill them before draining

Just dump out the water....out of the water the larvae will die.

Sadly not for a couple of days and by then they hatch. A larvea can survive in moist soil.

As we were enjoying this splendid weather today, I of course was wondering when the descending blood suckers would start to ruin our outdoor living. It becomes unbearable at some point every year. I'm just not sure when that is...

Would the "dunks" or "mosquito cubes" work proactively perhaps?

You can put a little oil or dishsoap in there. At least, that's how they managed the little jerks when the Panama Canal was built.

Town health department will work on the dumpster without a lid.

pixigirl said:

Sadly not for a couple of days and by then they hatch. A larvea can survive in moist soil.

Then dump it out on the driveway...should be nice and hot tomorrow.

From Robert Roe, Maplewood HD: In some ways this is very simple; that is most of the mosquitoes in our area breed in stagnant water. The stagnant water can be as small as a cat food can or as large as an unattended back yard pool. The key is stagnant water (not running water such as the brook or duck pond). When you have stagnant water, simply dump it out. The larvae can only survive in the stagnant water. With the start of warm weather, the mosquito breeding season has already begun. Common stagnant water sources include: cat food cans, wheebarrows, watering buckets, clogged roof gutters, garbage cans, spackle buckets, back yard pools that are not circulating, and tires. The tiger mosquitoes that bites you even in broad daylight especially like to breed in tires. It takes about 5-7 days for a mosquito to lay eggs in stagnant water and for them to mature into flying biting adults. So, draining the water will stop this cycle. If a dumpster has no holes in the bottom and it is collecting stagnant water, then it is in violation of Township Code. Hope this helps.

mbaldwin said:

doulamomma said:

marcsiry - I didn't realize that our firepit screen (should be dome shaped) was damaged - when I empty & take off cover, no more water...just wondering if draining them will keep the current swimming thing from becoming flying/biting things or if I should kill them before draining

Just dump out the water....out of the water the larvae will die.

thanks!

Trouble is, Bob, many steets in town have water that stands from sump pumps. Usually the problem is that it can't flow down to a drain because a driveway is too raised between it and the drain. It would be good for your office to make a list of these places as time permits, or get the building dept. to pay more attention to this. Not that I care that much; I'm almost immume to mosquitos!

edhawk1 said:

I'm almost immume to mosquitos!

Are you immune to West Nile or Malaria?

Oh you know what else is a great breeding ground for mosquitoes which I ...yuck...discovered last year. The trays under potted plants that catch the water. If you put your indoor plants out then get rid of the water catching trays or at least make sure there is no water standing in there, I kept blaming my lazy fish for noteating the larvea in my pond u til I realized that my five huge elephant ear plant trays had standing water in them and it was wigggling YUCK YUCK.

the dunks had done much of the work overnight & the mister & I gathered the fire pit cover & carried to the street & dumped it...the dome screen is repaired & thus it shouldn't take on more water. I was inspired and am now powerwashing the Adirondack chairs around said fire pit & all the patio furniture! Now if I could just (quickly, easily, inexpensively) build a flagstone patio in the fire pit area!

thanks for the help.