Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Gardens sans mosquitoes
|
Strategically placed pots with fish can take care of the eggs and larvae
|
TRUE BONUSYou don't have to spend too much time or money to be rid of the pesky insects
Everybody knows that mosquitoes breed in stagnant water. Water stagnating in hollows, broken pots and even discarded coconut shells is what the mosquitoes find perfect for breeding. But how do we tackle the menace? For starters, larvae-feeding fish can be introduced in open pots filled with water. These `mosquito traps' can be strategically placed at shady parts in gardens to effectively bring down the mosquito population.
Fish like the common guppy and the more aggressive mosquito fish, Gambusia affinis, can be reared in pots filled with clean water. The water should be replenished to counter evaporation once in a while. The water can also be kept clean with the help of a few submerged plants like hydrilla or ceratophyllum.
Fish feed on mosquitoes that enter gardens, especially early in the mornings and evenings, besides feasting on the floating eggs and larvae. After the pots are set up, no special food is to be given to the fish. In fact, the plant and the fish in the water make the containers a microcosm (small independent world). Cleaning and replacing the old water can be done in two years. In such cases, the water should be siphoned off carefully without disturbing the specimens. If the plant growth is very thick, remove the extra growth.
Bigger plants like sedges, bullrushes and even smaller water lilies (Nymphea) can be planted to make the pots look like attractive water gardens. These plants are propagated by division of tubers. Care should be taken to monitor overcrowding and severe evaporation in summer. And the bottomline is that the mosquitoes get exterminated without harmful pesticides entering into the picture.
CHITRA RADHAKRISHNAN
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
|
