I’ve previously shared the Good News about mosquito dunks, which stop mosquitoes from being able to breed in standing water. For the third year running, I am using dunks to create what’s sometimes called a “mosquito bucket of doom,” a trap that entices mosquitoes to breed in standing water that you have (muahahaha) poisoned against them.
Summit Mosquito Dunk Tablet, 20 Count (Pack of 1) $17.56 at Amazon $21.27 Save $3.71 Get Deal Get Deal $17.56 at Amazon $21.27 Save $3.71There are three main ways of dealing with a mosquito problem in your yard:
Kill adult mosquitoes, for example with foggers. Those individual mosquitoes won’t be able to bite anymore, since they’re dead, but the small amount you’ve managed to kill is not much of a dent in the mosquito population. This is the least effective strategy.
The first and third options are the ones that will make a difference: box fans and bug spray for yourself, mosquito breeding control for your yard. If you’re interested in trying to kill adult mosquitoes, read up on adulticides. They can be toxic to other insects like bees. They also don't tend to help mosquito problems unless you can manage to kill a lot of the adult mosquitoes, which can be difficult and expensive.
How a mosquito bucket of doom works
First, you need to understand the mosquito life cycle. (There are different species, with different preferences about who to bite and where to breed, but the same basic facts apply.)
They pupate (like caterpillars) and emerge from the water as adult mosquitoes. Male and female adults drink flower nectar (!!!) which is enough to keep them alive, but when a female is ready to breed, she needs protein. That’s where the biting comes in. She needs a “blood meal” to be able to build those little baby mosquito eggs. So she bites you, drinks a drop of your blood, and then a few days later she lays her eggs. Then the cycle can begin again.
Is a mosquito bucket of doom safe?
One of the things I love about the bucket of doom is that it targets mosquitoes and doesn’t affect most other insects, nor people and animals.
A bucket of water can be a safety hazard for small children and for animals, just because they could fall into it and drown. If your bucket of doom is in an area where children, pets, or wildlife could access it, consider covering the bucket with a barrier. Chicken wire makes an easy DIY cover, but if you want something a little neater looking, use a hydroponic basket that snaps onto the top of the bucket.
Tectsia Net Pots 6 Inch for 5 Gallon Bucket Wide Lids (6 Pack), Net Cups Hydroponic Bucket Lids, BPA-Free, DWC Basket Lids for 5 and 3.5 Gallon Bucket $31.99 Shop Now Shop Now $31.99How to make a mosquito bucket of doom
A bucket (the 5-gallon kind they sell at Home Depot is perfect)
Some organic matter like leaves or hay
There’s an area of my yard where we often have a bucket or two around, and those buckets tend to fill up with rain. Obviously I dump them when I notice, but every now and then I’ve seen mosquito larvae in one of those buckets. Gross. So that’s where I decided to set up my first bucket of doom.
Add plant matter (hay, straw, leaves) to the bucket.
Drop in ¼ of a mosquito dunk, or the amount indicated on the package.
In case you were wondering how big these things are. Credit: Beth SkwareckiHow to maintain your bucket of doom throughout the summer
I got my dunks for a little under $20 for a pack of 20, so let’s say I’m paying 25 cents per month to reduce the mosquito population. Add the cost of the bucket ($4.99 if you don’t already have one sitting around at home) and that’s less than $7 for a summer’s worth of mosquito protection.
People who use these buckets tend to report that they noticed far fewer mosquitoes in the months that followed, and I have definitely found that to be true. Mosquitoes take a few weeks to go through their life cycle, so don’t expect results instantly—but if you maintain your bucket and take care to eliminate other sources of standing water, you should notice there aren’t as many mosquitoes around this year as usual.
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