Mosquito Dunks

Mosquito dunks are not a repellent, but instead are a larvicide or bacteria used to prevent the reproduction of mosquitoes. The dunk, or donut, is used as a medium for bacteria to grow. In time the bacteria gets into the surrounding water, the bacteria then feeds off of and kill the mosquito larva. In short, a mosquito dunk brings bacteria that will infect the larva and kill them before they can become adult biting mosquitoes. This larvicide is actually a insecticide that is developed to specifically target the larva stage of any insect, the most common of course being mosquitoes, and may contain different types of poisons, growth regulators and biological agents.

How to use mosquito dunks is quite easy to learn. All that is required is to put one dunk in each water spot that needs to be treated. If water to be treated is a body of moving water, such as a creek, using a string attached to a stick to hold the dunk down is the best idea for keeping it in place, since the unstable water can carrying it away and remove the chance of the mosquitoes being controlled in the original location.

Mosquito dunks will continue to work for up to 30 days and will not harm any fish, plants, wild life or humans – so they are completely safe to use, and as with most prevention methods the mosquito dunk may take a few weeks for best results to be seen and a larger effort is best. To help diminish a mosquito population it may take more than one person using the dunk method, especially if living in a large community that is close to the water.

One specific type of larvicide called, siphotrol mosquito larvicide granules, kill mosquitoes before they mature into breeding, biting adult mosquitoes. This type of larvicide was designed to target mosquito larva, while being safe for fish, wildlife and vegetation. This type of mosquito dunk can be used in bird baths, water gardens or other areas that collect water and can work for up to 21 days.

Mosquito dunks or larvicide can often come in bisque type tablets or in the form of a pellet. Biological larvicide contains a bacterial agent that focuses on mosquito larva and is considered environmentally safe. However, these are considered a top overall solution, as mosquitoes that are beginning to hatch in nearby areas can enter the area and not be affected.