Lessons Learned

I love almost everything about my little pond (about 10′ x 7′) but I certainly didn’t build it perfectly. There’s probably a reason people make their living creating ponds for people who can’t do it themselves…

Mosquitos

Latest lesson is about water movement. Guess what? The movement of 1000 G per hour at one end of the 10′ pond is not enough to prevent stagnation at the other end of the 10′ pond. My neighbour casually mentioned they’d noticed more mosquitos lately and “did I think they could be propagating in the pond?” I assured her that tho’ I’d seen some larvae a while back, I was pretty sure the agitation from the waterfall was enough to prevent still water–which is what mosquitos want for egg-laying. Wrong! I peered into the edges of the pond and waited to see movement. Not only did I see a few  2-3mm black “commas” (that I’d seen before), but the longer I looked the more I could see ZILLIONS (ok, maybe not quite that many) of much smaller moving bits. Next day I was out buying goldfish!

Here is an excellent short article on preventing a mosquito explosion in your pond.

When the first “scoop” of 18 fishies seemed to be effective (fewer larger larvae), I went and got another 15. So far the racoons have either not noticed the fish or figured they were too hard to get. There are LOTS of nooks and crannies and hiding places in the pond, including two caves that I built even tho’ I was sure I didn’t want fish. I’d had too much racoon activity over the years to encourage even more devastation. But really, choosing between a mosquito infestation and potential West Nile virus, and a few cute furry (big) rodents–no contest!

Stay tuned for more Lessons Learned.