I enjoy having birds come and go through my gardens. That is why I have bird feeders and a bird bath. However, in these summer months, mosquitoes assume they are welcome to lay eggs and make a home of my bird bath. And they are affecting the frequency of the beautiful birds’ visits. This will not do.
Over the course of my war against pesky mosquitoes, I have learned effective and sure-fire ways of how to keep mosquitoes out of bird baths.
The Beauty of Bird Baths
I find that having a bird bath in my garden is a better way to get birds into my property than bird feeders. All birds need water, especially during the hot summer months. They use bird baths for drinking as well as preening their feathers. They also use bird baths to keep themselves cool.
Aside from knowing that I’m doing birds a service, I find that having a bird bath allows me to enjoy watching birds frolic around the water bowl.
Mosquitoes destroy the beauty of bird baths. They invade the bowl of water. They don’t drive the birds away. There are actually a few birds that eat mosquitoes. I just don’t want mosquitoes near my bird bath for health reasons. Here’s how to keep mosquitoes out of bird baths,
Contents
Methods I Tried to Keep Mosquitoes Out of My Bird Bath
1. Change the Water Regularly
It takes around a week to ten days for a mosquito egg to hatch and mature into the flying and biting insect I abhor. I found that I’m killing the mosquito eggs and larvae by changing the water in my bird bath regularly. I prevent them from hatching or growing into full-blown adults. This is the first method I tried to keep mosquitoes out of my bird bath.
The problem is, there are times that I forget to change the water in my bird bath. I needed a more passive method.
2. Get Mosquito Dunks
Another safe way to keep mosquitoes out of bird baths is using mosquito dunks. They contain bacteria that kill mosquito eggs and larvae. However, they may not prevent flying adult mosquitoes from gathering together around the bird bath.
This is still not a very effective method for me. I need to get rid of all mosquitoes, not just the eggs and larvae. I needed the keep even the adult mosquitoes out.
3. Support the Ecosystem
During my research on how to keep mosquitoes out of bird baths, I found that there are natural ways to eliminate mosquitoes. Fish, bats, dragonflies, and a few species of birds eat mosquitoes. Keeping the natural habitats and waterways around my home is a great way to keep mosquito populations in check.
I found that supporting conservation efforts around my neighborhood made a difference in my fight against mosquitoes. But it just wasn’t enough to totally eliminate my problem. It was more of a long-term, big-picture solution. I need something more direct. I needed a method that will TOTALLY keep mosquitoes out of my garden bird bath.
4. Utilize Moving or Running Water
Mosquitoes thrive in standing water. That’s where they can lay eggs. And that’s where the eggs can hatch and live as larvae. Until they are in the final stage of their adult lives, mosquitoes are not the flying and annoyingly buzzing insects. And even then, they like to stay around standing water because that’s where the females lay their eggs.
I have observed that my problems with mosquitoes vanish by utilizing moving or running water in my bird bath. I noticed that they no longer congregate around the bird bath because their females can no longer use it as a breeding ground. The eggs and larvae can’t survive in running water.
To my joy, I discovered another benefit to using moving water in my bird bath. The number of birds that visit it increased drastically. After doing some research, I discovered that it’s easier for birds to locate running water than still water. They see the movement and they hear the sound of the water.
I tried a few things that will get the water in my bird bath to move.
Use a water wiggler
Water wigglers for bird baths are affordable, battery-powered little machines that create ripples in the water’s surface. They agitate the water enough to attract birds and discourage mosquitoes.
But for some reason, I wasn’t really satisfied with this.
Slowly dripping hose
Another method I tried was a slowly dripping hose. It prevented mosquitoes more effectively from gathering around my bird bath. But I had to deal with spillage. Plus, there was the cost of a slightly higher water bill. I didn’t really mind the bill, as long as I prevented mosquitoes from breeding in my bird bath.
Then I thought, “I am willing to spend money to keep mosquitoes out of my bird bath, I might as well make the most of it.” Then my final solution came to me.
Bird bath with a fountain feature
The solution I came up with is installing a fountain mechanism in my bird bath. Instead of dealing with an increased water bill, it’s the electric bill I had to come to terms with. And that’s fine by me, considering all the benefits the fountain gives me.
What are the benefits? The fountain increases the bath’s beauty. It attracts more birds. And it repels ALL mosquitoes.
Conclusion
In my journey of discovering how to keep mosquitoes out of bird baths, this is the most effective method I discovered. In my opinion, it is the most cost-effective way. It totally eliminates mosquitoes. And it even attracts more of the beautiful birds I enjoy watching around my bird bath.