Mosquito larva in turtle pond

[m irwin]

I am re-configuring the pond in my Ornate & Three Toed enclosure this winter, and am looking for some help. The pond I have now works great - the turtles use it a lot - but the issue I've had is the pond would get infested with mosquito larva and I'd have to totally drain it like once a week to get rid of them. I'm in Dallas, TX so once the heat of late spring starts, here come the mosquito's. Has anyone else dealt with this and how do you keep your pond water larva free? I have a filter in there with a UV bulb in the unit so it keeps the water clear and algae free. In other words the pond is not stagnant standing water. I looked into those mosquito dunks but am worried they'll poison the turtles who like to wade in and drink the water. Thoughts? I see pictures of enclosures with ponds both bigger and smaller than mine and always wonder how they address this common issue. Thanks!

 

[Toddrickfl1]

I am re-configuring the pond in my Ornate & Three Toed enclosure this winter, and am looking for some help. The pond I have now works great - the turtles use it a lot - but the issue I've had is the pond would get infested with mosquito larva and I'd have to totally drain it like once a week to get rid of them. I'm in Dallas, TX so once the heat of late spring starts, here come the mosquito's. Has anyone else dealt with this and how do you keep your pond water larva free? I have a filter in there with a UV bulb in the unit so it keeps the water clear and algae free. In other words the pond is not stagnant standing water. I looked into those mosquito dunks but am worried they'll poison the turtles who like to wade in and drink the water. Thoughts? I see pictures of enclosures with ponds both bigger and smaller than mine and always wonder how they address this common issue. Thanks!

Mosquito dunks work great and they're safe for the turtles. I just put it somewhere the turtles can't get to it.

 

[m irwin]

Have you direct experience with using them (the dunks) safely with your box turtles? No issues at all like poisoning, etc...??

 

[Toddrickfl1]

Have you direct experience with using them (the dunks) safely with your box turtles? No issues at all like poisoning, etc...??

I used them in a pond with water turtles. It's not a pesticide it's a biological treatment that only affects mosquitoes.

 

[wellington]

Koi will eat that right up. I had koi, gold fish and RES in my ponds, never mosquitoes.
There are smaller fish too, people use them in their horses watering troughs to keep mosquitoe larvae out. They are mosquitoe fish.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Common minnows will eat all of the mosquito larvae and would also be a good occasional snack for a turtle.

 

[m irwin]

Thanks for all replies. I will try minnows out and see how that goes initially. I have a creek beyond my house and so have a ready supply of minnows. Hoping for the best, can't stand those mosquito's!

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Koi will eat that right up. I had koi, gold fish and RES in my ponds, never mosquitoes.
There are smaller fish too, people use them in their horses watering troughs to keep mosquitoe larvae out. They are mosquitoe fish.

 

[Relic]

The "minnows" you will catch in your local creek in North Texas are these guys:

Mosquitofish - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

They are incredibly hardy, can survive water temps over 100 degrees (I have verified this myself), and will completely eliminate any mosquito larvae. They are prolific breeders and may have to be thinned out at some point. Good luck.