Mosquitoes at retention basin

Hello all!

We currently have a retention basin in our community. The community will still be under construction for appr. another one year. In this retention basin there are filters that are mandated by the EPA to protect the frogs in a creek from anyone of the construction debris or residue. Well, the retention basis is retaining water (as it is suppose to) and is drawing a large amount of mosquitos to the area. These mosquitos are jepardizing the quality of life the homeowners around the basin because there are swarms of mosquitos around them on their decks, mosquitos in the homes, and poses a threat of the West Nile Virus in PA (In 2000, West Nile virus appeared for the first time in Pennsylvania in birds, mosquitoes and a horse).

The tate DEP and county mosquito control professionals have been using Bti, a naturally occurring bacteria, to kill mosquito larvae for years. This material is now becoming widely available for you to buy and use yourself at home. Bti can be purchased in small, donut-shaped form, often called "mosquito dunks", which are useful in small areas of standing water, such as a birdbath or small puddle of water that may gather in a low spot on your property. A granular form of Bti is available, and effective for larger areas, such as backyard ponds. (the Declarant of our land has purchased and put into the retention basin (it is not helping).

Does anyone have any experience or ideas on how to handle this situation? According the the Declarant, the filters cannot be taken out of the retention basin until all construction is complete in the community. Unfortuantly, construction will not be complete until next fall.

Any advise would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you!
Melissa

Why not just have the health department come out and fog for mosquitos?

Our health department must use a different sort of control, then. We have frogs, and bats.

Sorry you're having a problem!

Hi Melissa,

I sympathize with you and your frustration regarding this problem. We have dealt with the mosquito and West Nile Virus issue for our ponds and a natural wetland area we own. The solution will depend on the specifics of your situation.

For the near term, for mosquito control, I suggest you check with the DEP, State or County health department, or EPA to find out what is recommended and approved for use in your situation. Here are two websites for more info on West Nile and mosquito control.
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/index.htm
http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/health/mosquitoes/index.htm

Based on your postings, I am guessing that the frogs are protected either under the Endangered Species Act or a state law, which is apparently preventing you from using the "usual" chemical controls.

For the long term, the solution will depend on whether you have a retention ponds or a detention basin which is not draining due to the filters you mentioned or something esle clogging the drain (a detention basin is a dry grassy area which holds the water for a temporary period during/after a rainfall). Which type do you have?

Good luck,
Bonnie

Melissa,

Have you checked into natural aquatic predators in your area? We have a 55 acre lake with not mosquitoes because of natural predation from fish. When water pools in our lots, culverts, and ditches, we place mosquito fish in the water that we catch in other waterways. Since our waterways already have mosquito fish (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mosquitofish), we are not adding exotic fish to our streams. In one small pond that does not drain, I walked up to it and thought is was full of tadpoles. Upon closer inspection it was mosquito larvae. I placed two dozen mosquito fish into the pond and after two years the fish are still there, the mosquitoes are gone, and there are large spawns of leopard frogs. Make sure you check with your local regulations on introducing these fish. Some states actually supply mosquito fish as part of their eradication program.