Beautiful but deadly when the mozzies come to play
In humid Singapore
As part of
the prevent dengue movement, public advertisements constantly remind us to
clear out water from pots and containers that allow water to accumulate. NEA
officers conduct house visits to advise and check on the accumulation of
stagnant water within the home and in potted plants in the corridors of HDB
flats. But one of the most obvious and conducive breeding grounds for
mosquitoes – ponds, seems to have gone forgotten.
Some
private estates have ponds for decorative purposes. While these ponds are
beautiful to look at and create a scenic environment, they are excellent
procreation grounds for mosquitoes when left untouched. Maintaining a pond can
be troublesome, and many people lack the know-how to do it properly, or fail to
realize that regular cleaning and maintenance of a pond is necessary. Some
households leave the cleaning of the pond to their maids, not realizing that
this task requires some level of expertise that the regular person wouldn’t
have. Understandably, many people do not have time and effort to maintain their ponds on a frequent basis. Here are some tips to keep the mosquitoes out of your pond so that it can be sustained for a long time with little maintenance.
First of all, understand why water stagnates:
- little or no movement in flow of water
- Low oxygen levels
- Waste and carbon dioxide from fish and rotting vegetation.
It is common misconception that keeping fish in the pond prevents water from stagnating. While fish do keep the water moving, they also pollute the water and reduce oxygen levels in the pond. On the other hand, some fish like goldfish, koi and mosquitofish will eat mosquito eggs, larvae and pupae when hungry. In fact, if you notice lavae in your pond, don’t feed your fish for a few days and the lavae will most likely end up in their stomachs.
If you have fish, do introduce a pond filter, which will remove the toxins in the water released by fish and water plants, and increase oxygen levels.
Populate your pond with oxygenating plants to keep oxygen levels high. Ask your plant supplier to point out the oxygenating plants for you. However, bear in mind that plants will populate if healthy, and you should not plant too much in your pond, or the plants could overcrowd and die from lack of light and nutrients, releasing carbon dioxide and toxins instead.
Add a water feature such as a fountain or artificial stream to get the water constantly on the move, thus preventing stagnation.
Keep your pond in a bright and sunny environment. Avoid obscuring it with overhanging trees and other ornaments.
Avoid planting landscape plants near the pond edge as the plants could serve as shelter for mosquito larva. For similar reason, choose plants that are submerged, instead of floating. Water lilies are lovely and all, but they could become protective shelter for mosquito larvae.
Don’t forget to call in the experts to give your pond a good clean-up when the pond does get murky or algae have accumulated!
A decorative pond should charm you, not harm you. Take good care of it so that it doesn't turn into a mosquito hatchery!
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