Hey everyone! I'm finally posting after lurking for a while. I've been making stinging nettle fertilizer for years and use a 20-gallon barrel to brew it up. It's always worked great for my family and our garden. However, I keep running into a problem with mosquito larvae taking over the barrel. I'm currently in a tight spot financially, and I can't spend money on commercial solutions. I've read that adding a bit of dish soap or vegetable oil can help suffocate them, but I'm worried about how that might affect my plants since I use a 10% dilution of the fertilizer. I'm thinking of adding 1 teaspoon of dish soap per gallon. Will that be safe for my plants? Does anyone have any better solutions? Also, just to note, I can't cover the barrel since it needs air according to my grandma. Sometimes I have to add more nettles or water if I'm running low. Thanks for any advice!
2 Answers
You might want to try using mosquito dunks. They contain natural enzymes that specifically target mosquito larvae but are safe for plants and animals, including fish and frogs. It's a solid approach if you can get your hands on them!
Have you thought about just covering the barrel with a mosquito net? It could keep new larvae out while you deal with the ones already in the barrel. Sheer curtains could work too!
I was actually considering making a "net lid"! I think it’s a great idea to prevent future infestations. I’ll use some tulle I have lying around. Just need to figure out how to deal with the larvae already living in the juice.
I completely agree, but I'm in a tiny village in Central-eastern Europe where they aren't available easily. If I can't find a free solution, I'll have to order some, fingers crossed they arrive before the mosquitoes hatch! I'm already dealing with lots of other pest control methods, but this standing water is a big issue.