WaterButts and Mosquitos

Over the past year the number of mosquitos and other more exotic insects has been on the increase. There was a several reported cases of giant spiders and homes infested with insects that have never been seen in Ireland before. Our mild winters over the past 2 years and our current prolonged warm spell will only help to add to this dilemma

Along with spiders on the rise, mosquitoes too are very much a more common sight of late and they seemed to have struck panic across the country. The blame for the rise on mosquitos has been put on the humble water butt

, or at least the rise on popularity of water butts. As a consequence water butts can now be found resting in the back of each and every garden in the country. With this is a breeding ground for mosquitos.

Mosquitos like still, calm water to breed and while away the time. Water butts provide this very scene and as a result are popular with mosquitos. But water butts along cannot be to blame and warmer weather most certainly has played a part

There are a number of ways to ensure that your water butt is not a home for insects and mosquitoes. Below is a list of ways and suggestions on how to keep your water butt insect free:

1. Put a lid on it!

If the water is not accessible then the mosquitoes will not gather there. Most water butts come with lids and lockable lids and these should be kept on all the time- both for prevent mossies and for safety reasons. Also ensure that the holes where the downpipe diverters and linking pipes are well sealed as mosquitoes will take advantage of any size of hole

2. Add a splash of cooking oil

This might seem odd, but by adding a drop of cooking oil to the water in your water butt you can create a film over the water’s surface which means our 4 winged friends cannot get to the water beneath meaning they have to fly to another spot

3. GoldFish

If the idea above seemed odd then this is not the one for you: Add some gold fish to your water butt. Goldfish love to eat and they are partial to the odd moisquito or two. Ideally you should only add the gold fish for a few hours and then return them to their happier life in a gold fish tank

So, as you can see the rise in moisquitos should not spell the end for our beloved butts. In fact with the commencement of the water charges they are likely to get even more popular over the coming months.

If you all looking to buy a water butt or any water storage products, log on to our website www.thegardenshop.ie for more on this