Mosquito Predators
There are a number of insects and small animals that are
natural predators of the mosquito. To fully appreciate these
animals it is best to know how they can help to reduce the
number of mosquitos. That way, instead of treating them like
another annoyance, we can encourage them, to a certain degree,
in order to control the pesky mosquitoes. Here is a list of
the mosquito’s natural enemies, together with some interesting
facts:
• Mosquitofish: eats both plant and animal life
- According to some studies, a single mosquito fish can
eat up to 50 mosquito larvae in half an hour and a maximum
of 168 in an eight hour period.
- They are the best choice right now because they can tolerate
various temperature changes in the water, poor environments,
and organic waters.
• Guppy:
- Like the mosquito fish, guppies
have the ability to endure significant
levels of chemical and organic
pollutants in the water that would
cause other fish to die.
- The guppy can tolerate some changes in water temperature,
but not as drastic as the mosquitofish.
• Dragonfly:
- Normally, the dragonfly’s prey is caught in the
air and eaten in flight.
- It consumes large numbers of mosquitoes.
• Birds:
- Several specific species of birds eat mosquitoes.
- Birds adapt their diet when there is a higher concentration
of mosquitoes.
- Water fowl consume mosquito larvae in their normal diets.
• Bats:
- Most bat species feed after dark or at dusk.
- Some experts estimated that one bat can eat between 600
to 1000 insects, mosquitoes included, within a period of
one hour.
There are a number of things you can do to reduce the number
of mosquitoes in your environment. Here are a few suggestions
to encourage the previous mentioned predators and other natural
mosquito predators:
- Put bird houses on your lawn or in your backyard.
- If you have a pond near your country house, you can grow
plants such as cattails and bulrushes which attract dragonflies
and other mosquito-eating insects.
- Dense shrubs and brush often provide a habitat for birds
and mosquito-eating insects.
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