How to Catch Mosquitoes in the “bucket of Doom”
I previously shared the good news about mosquitoes that prevent mosquitoes from breeding in standing water. I recently used dipping to create what is sometimes called a “mosquito bucket of doom”, a trap that encourages mosquitoes to breed in the standing water that you (muhahahaha) have poisoned against them.
Not only is the kill bucket easy to create—it took about five minutes, and my younger daughter did most of the work—but it’s also more effective than other mosquito control attempts, such as foggers.
Why the Doom Bucket is More Effective Than Other Mosquito Control Methods
There are three main ways to combat a mosquito problem in your yard:
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Keep mosquitoes away from you personally with fans, bug sprays and barriers such as screening. They’re still here, but at least they’re not biting you.
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Kill adult mosquitoes , for example, with foggers. These individual mosquitoes will no longer be able to bite because they are dead, but the small number you manage to kill will not have much effect on the mosquito population. This is the least effective strategy.
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Kill larvae or prevent them from reproducing . This is where the bucket of doom comes in. You will destroy the breeding sites in your yard, except for that particular bucket. The bucket will kill the baby mosquitoes before they even grow up.
The first and third options will make a difference: box fans and bug spray for yourself, controlling mosquito breeding in the yard. If you are interested in trying to kill adult mosquitoes, read about adult mosquito killers . They can be toxic to other insects, such as bees. They also don’t help with mosquito problems unless you manage to kill a lot of adult mosquitoes, which can be difficult and expensive.
A doom bucket is a simple and effective form of mosquito breeding control, but keep in mind that it works best in areas where there are no other mosquito breeding sites. If you live next to a swamp, a bucket may not help much. On the other hand, if you are in an area where you and your neighbors are good at cleaning up stagnant water, a bucket will be more effective.
How does a mosquito doom bucket work?
First, you need to understand the life cycle of mosquitoes. (There are different species with different preferences for who to bite and where to breed, but the basic facts are the same.)
Just like butterflies have a larval stage (caterpillar), mosquitoes also have a larval stage and an adult flight stage. Females lay eggs in or near water, and the larvae are aquatic. If you’ve ever looked into a bucket or pond and noticed wormy things squirming around the surface, those were mosquito larvae. They hang upside down, breathing through a tube in their butt ( I promise I’m not making this up ), but can swim to hide or search for microscopic pieces of food.
They pupate (like caterpillars) and emerge from the water as adult mosquitoes. Adult males and females drink flower nectar (!!!), which is enough to keep them alive, but when the female is ready to reproduce, she needs protein. This is where the biting begins. She needs “blood food” to be able to build those little mosquito eggs. So she bites you, drinks a drop of your blood, and then lays eggs a few days later. The cycle can then begin again.
The entire life cycle takes only a few weeks, so mosquitoes will breed (and bite) continuously throughout the season. We are going to disrupt this process by poisoning the water in which the larvae live. The eggs will hatch, but the larvae will die.
Is the Mosquito Kill Bucket safe?
One of the things I like about the doom bucket is that it targets mosquitoes and leaves most other insects, humans and animals untouched.
The “poison” we use is actually just a naturally occurring bacterium with the scientific name Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (often abbreviated Bti). This type of bacteria produces a toxin that can kill mosquitoes, fungus gnats and midges, but Bti is non-toxic to mammals, birds and fish. Insects that do not breed in water are not affected by dipping, so butterflies and bees are safe .
A bucket of water can be dangerous for small children and animals simply because they can fall into it and drown. If your doom bucket is in an area where children or pets can access it, consider covering the bucket with a barrier. A DIY lid can easily be made from chicken wire, but if you want something a little neater looking, use a hydroponic basket that snaps onto the top of a bucket .
How to make a mosquito bucket of fate
First, gather everything you need:
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Bucket ( a 5-gallon bucket sold at Home Depot is ideal)
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A bag of mosquitoes or pellets containing Bti.
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Some organic matter such as leaves or hay.
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Cover as described above (optional).
I have an area in my yard where we often have a bucket or two sitting, and those buckets tend to fill up with rain. Of course I throw them away when I notice them, but every now and then I’ve seen mosquito larvae in one of these buckets. Gross. This is where I decided to host my first Doom Bucket.
I have seen maggots even when there was no obvious source of nutrients in the bucket, but instructions from university websites usually mention adding hay, straw or other organic matter. I asked my daughter to collect some dry leaves from the corners of the yard and driveway. We then filled the bucket halfway with water before adding the magic ingredient. Here are the steps you can follow:
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Add plant matter (hay, straw, leaves) to the bucket.
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Add water to a bucket to create a beautiful mosquito pond.
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Add ¼ serving of mosquito or the amount indicated on the package.
How to Store a Bucket of Doom All Summer Long
My package said that a donut shaped quarter top is good for mosquito control in a one square foot area, so we used a quarter top for our bucket. (Some photos online show people using a full dunk on one bucket; this is probably overkill.) You will need to add a new dunk every month .
I bought my dunks for just under $20 for a pack of 20, so let’s say I pay 25 cents a month to reduce the mosquito population. Add in the cost of the bucket ($4.99 if you don’t already have one at home) and you’re looking at less than $7 for a summer mosquito repellent.
Make more than one bucket if you have a large yard or just want to cover your bases in multiple places (perhaps one in the backyard, one on the porch). And remember, you’ll still have to dump all unpoisoned standing water . A doom bucket works best when it is the only option for mosquitoes.
People who use these buckets typically report that they notice far fewer mosquitoes in the following months. Mosquitoes take a few weeks to go through their life cycle, so don’t expect instant results, but if you keep an eye on your bucket and take care to eliminate other sources of standing water, you’ll notice there aren’t as many mosquitoes this year. still.