Mosquito Bucket of Doom

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I don't know about where you are, but the mosquitos are out in full force here in Nashville, Tennessee! As we focus on our pollinator garden beds this year, I started my search for a non-toxic option to battle the mosquitos while keeping our butterflies and bees safe. It was brought to my attention that spraying for mosquitos with most pest control companies can really negatively, and unintentionally, effect the good bugs you don't want to get rid of! We tried using a UV mosquito repelling machine last summer and while there was a slight improvement, it still wasn't that enjoyable to be out in our backyard. Enter, the infamous "Mosquito Bucket of Doom". I had seen this idea suggested in various gardening Facebook groups and put it off for a while. It wasn't until my mom sent me a link with a step-by-step process where I realized just how easy (and cheap!) this solution was.

Not so fun fact:

Did you know that all mosquitos need is the equivalent to a bottle cap full of water (or 1 teaspoon)?! Check out these helpful reminders below to stop mosquitos from up home in your yard in places you would least expect, or easily overlook.

Despite my best efforts to keep standing water out of our yard, the mosquitos have continued to find a way to survive. So what better thing than to give them a special, designated water bucket that prevents the lifecycle from carrying on.

How the "Mosquito Bucket of Doom" works is simple: as the grass in the bucket breaks down, it releases carbon dioxide which attracts mosquitos to then lay their eggs on the standing water. The BTI mosquito dunk (a larvicide) gradually breaks down and prevents the mosquito larva from continuing to develop past the larval stage. This means no adult mosquitos! These buckets of doom don't get rid of existing adult populations of mosquitos, but it stops the spread of even more being created.

Items Used:

• BTI mosquito dunk

• 5 gallon bucket

• Hand full of grass

• Water

• Stick or hardware cloth

How to Setup Your Bucket:

1. Fill your 5 gallon bucket about halfway up with water. You want to fill it up to where there's still plenty of room for additional rainwater to collect in the bucket and not overflow.

2. Throw in a single BTI mosquito dunk

• Make sure to add in a brand new BTI dunk every 30 days to keep the treatment going. I also toss in another handful of grass at the same time and give it all a stir.

• I use the stick to keep mine pushed down to the bottom. A rock would work too!

3. Toss in a handful of grass. This grass will slowly break down, releasing carbon dioxide to attract mosquitos to breed on the water.

4. Add in your stick or place hardware cloth on top of the bucket. You just need one or the other, but they both help prevent wildlife from accidentally getting stuck in the water. We only want to get rid of the mosquitos here!

• If you have young children in the home, I highly recommend using hardware cloth on the top to avoid any potential accidents. Secure the hardware cloth by drilling holes through the sides of the bucket and securing with a few zip ties. To add the new dunks in, you will have to cut a couple of the zip ties and then replace when you're ready to close it back up.