There are pellets you can buy to throw on the water.

When I was a kid in England an aunt of mine had a big, old iron water container in her back yard - it collected rainwater runoff from the house roof that she used to water her garden & it must have held at least 1,000 gallons.

It was a great breeding place for mosquitos.

One day, I'd caught a little roach in a nearby pond. I put it in the iron water container, not even thinking about it needing to be fed, and forgot about it.

A couple of years later it had grown into the biggest roach I've ever seen. It must have thrived on the mosquito larvae.

So, maybe this is another answer to the problem -

Click here

I suffer and scratch..scratch..scratch. I got even allergic reaction for the next day, I use Benadryl cream, that helps a little. At sunset I go inside.We don't have a pond or any water feature, but my garden is shady and very moist, mosquito-paradise.

I tried many things, OFF, Avon bath oil,.... you name it! the little beasts just love me!!

I wear long sleeves and long pants when im out and about in the garden, but they still get the neck and face. When i get completely fed up, ill use something with Deet in it (probably to the detriment of my future offspring). Perhaps a few strategically placed sticks of incense will keep them at bay during meditation.

Here is a link that might be useful: Shoyeido

Ron B, thanks! I have a wading pool I use for soaking stones and watering plants that like soakings. My daughter sprinkles it monthly with Bt and delights in the grillions of tadpoles. Still, they come.

Herb, can I have the 1000 gallon iron cistern? You may keep the roach :>

kobold and diggeridoo, I have been using the mosquito coils, but some visitors (and my oldest daughter) don't like the smoke. I am looking for the metal containers that clipped to your belt and held the coils while working. Anyone have a US source?

Also looking for a convincing argument to convince spouse that a $400 mosquito trap is of similar importance to $4000 dental braces needed by youngest.

A convincing argument? How about this -

"The mosquito is often a carrier of diseases, such as malaria, encephalitis, yellow fever, dengue fever, dog heartworm, West Nile virus, and many others. The females, who drink blood, can carry disease from one animal to another as they feed."

Click for the source of the above

It's occurred to me that when I wrote about the Roach (which, by the way, eventually committed suicide by leaping out of the cistern) it may have been thought that I meant 'Cockroach'. Not so. A Roach is a freshwater fish. I think, though I'm not sure, that it may be related to Carp.

And Don, you're too late to get the cistern: the last time I visited, the oil lamps had been replaced by electric light & a mains water supply had been laid on, so the cistern had been hauled away. The next generation were even wondering whether to instal a telephone.

Herb, you like to scare us with all the possibilities to get from mosquitoes.Yes, you can get all these, but not everywhere and not often.. I fear only the West Nile virus here in Canada. The rest needs special mosquitoes (anopheles for malaria)or hematophagous arthropods (mosquito, tick, sandfly) and often a rodent host.A badly scratched bite can get infected and cause even flesh eating disease.And contrary to what I said about the anopheles mosquito, I managed to get malaria as a child after the II.WW in Hungary because the returning troops from malarious ares carried the infection.

I still dont know how to avoid them, they got me through clothing too. I used the coils, smoke, etc....

Don, the mosquito trap is THE MOST IMPORTANT household item.Quote to your wife all this terrible diseases the kids can get ( best reason the kids!!!)

Andrea

You might try Mosquito Beater by Bonide. Just attach the container to your hose and spray the areas you are having trouble with. BUT DO NOT SPRAY BY WATER, IT KILLS YOUR FISH. We use it on shrubs and in the patio area. Works wonders for several weeks. Seems like a nasty chemical so we only use it when those little buggers are at there worst. It even gets rid of Earwigs.

Cheers Jando

It occurs to me - tongue in cheek - that perhaps the Japanese took to making dry streams and Zen gardens with just sand, rocks and moss, not for spiritual reasons, but because they understood that mosquitos need water to breed, and they wanted somewhere to sit without being bitten by quite so many mosquitos.......

Set up some buckets with BT biscuits in them specifically for the mosquitos to lay eggs in.
You will lessen the local supply of them.
Keep a biscuit or two in every pond.

Thanks to all who had given good advice, I will try. I like special Jando's idea, the spray.

Andrea

Bamboo-san, a small pond used for soaking plants and rocks gets a regular sprinkle of the Bt granules. This type of trap/bait is a method recommended by the government. I just ordered 2 of Oak Stump's traps as well. I will report the results.

Herb-sensei, you have revealed the true purpose of Zen gardens - you are brilliant. Do you have a shaved head? Does it have bites? PS: I know your mosquitos are larger and meaner that Texas mosqutos, but don't tell anyone.

Jando, I once sprayed the area with a shotgun fog like Mosquito Beater. The mosquitos were gone, but as I walked around enjoying it, I literally watched bees fall out of the air. The next day revealed many lacewing and fireflies as well. I know it works, but my daughter is so fond of the frogs, etc.

Andrea, my wife didn't fall for the "protect the kids" approach - she just says stay inside. The "Last Samurai" was better than I thought, but "Crouching Tiger" was better. I really need to take her to Japan!

Ah the mosquitos. Currently we are enjoying dry, warm weather in Japan. The monsoon is holding off just yet, but look out once the rain hits. You cannot imagine the clouds that come off the rice patties and woods around my home. They are relentless. As for gardening, my approach in summer is to run outside and do my business as quickly as possible...that is until I feel faint from loss of blood. Meditation? Only from November to May, then all bets are off!

Here the big worry is encephalitis, but with China so close, and with all its exotic diseases, I try not to think about it. PF

I use "dunkin donuts." They are a version of the pellets mentioned above, but shaped like small donuts. They're available at Home Depot and other garden centers. I've been using them for several years and am happy with the results.