Organic Insecticides | Organic Pesticides | EcoSMART Bug Spray

Natural Mosquito Predators: They Feed on Us, Who Feeds on Them?

February 9th, 2010 Posted in Mosquitoes & Repellent

Nothing ruins an outdoor party like a swarm of mosquitoes attacking your guests. You can angrily swat them away but they seem to keep coming.

What you need is a superhero to save the day. But if Batman and Robin are not available, you can turn to natural mosquito predators and natural mosquito repellents and pesticides for help. This mosquito fighting team can be your backyard heroes.

The ultimate mosquito fighting team consists of:

• Mosquitofish: the Aquaman of Natural Mosquito Predators
• Bats: the Flying Superhero of Natural Mosquito Predators
• Natural Mosquito Repellent and Pesticide: the Kryptonite of Mosquitoes

Mosquitofish: the Aquaman of Natural Mosquito Predators

No, these are not fish with wings. Mosquitofish (also called Gambusia Affinis) are often purchased by homeowners to keep in their freshwater ponds to control the mosquito population.

These fish live 2 to 3 years and can survive in all kinds of weather. However, they prefer ponds with lots of sun.

When they are actively feeding, these fish can eat over 100 mosquito larvae per day. Some studies noted that mosquitofish can consume 42-167% of their body weight. Although small, these fish act like tiny vacuums, sucking down any mosquitoes in their path.

Why mosquito fish are the best for mosquito control:

• Mouths are turned up so they’re naturally adapted for consuming mosquito larvae on the water’s surface
• Small bodies allow them to swim through dense underwater growth where larvae and pupae can hide
• Adapt to temperature changes, salinity, organic pollution and a decreased food supply
• Low maintenance
• Compatible with other pond inhabitants like gold fish, koi and karp

If you have an ornamental pond, it’s wise to stock it with mosquitofish. With these fish patrolling the water and another natural mosquito killer catching them in the air, you have an unstoppable mosquito-fighting duo.

Bats: the Flying Superhero of Natural Mosquito Predators

While fish are great in the water, bats can glide through the air easily snatching up airborne mosquitoes. Although bats have a less than flattering reputation, Batman’s nocturnal namesake are actually deadly natural mosquito killers.

Mosquitoes are most active from dusk ’til dawn; so just as mosquitoes are at their peak, bats are waking up for a night of hunting.

Certain bats species will kill anywhere from 500 to 1,000 mosquitoes in an hour. Bats often live in large colonies, so imagine how many mosquitoes dozens of bats could ingest in a single night.

Some experts claim bats are not the most effective predator because they do not feed specifically on mosquitoes. But bats feed on whatever flying insects they can easily capture and often these unlucky victims are mosquitoes.

Mosquitoes are not evasive fliers, making them very easily captured. For this reason, many bats prefer mosquitoes over other prey.

Unfortunately, bat populations have declined in many areas. Many experts are pushing for recovery efforts and community projects to build bat houses and covered bridges for them to reside in.

A bat without a bridge to sleep under is like Batman without his Bat Cave. Neither would be able to do their job, and the Joker, Penguin and mosquitoes would take over the world.

Natural Mosquito Repellent and Pesticide: the Kryptonite of Mosquitoes

As long as the fish and bats are on your side, you will have a dynamic team fighting off mosquitoes. But if you’re still pestered by these bugs, use only organic pesticides in your yard. Many chemical pesticides do more harm than good.

Mosquitoes are able to develop resistance to the chemicals over time. But predators cannot, and they start to die out. This allows mosquitoes to multiply quickly and come back stronger than ever.

Luckily, EcoSMART’s natural bug spray only targets pests. The ingredients are combined so the spray is only deadly to mosquitoes and other flying insects. You can use the pesticides for your backyard and the natural bug spray on yourself, without ever harming fish, bats or other animals.

By protecting natural mosquito predators, they will protect you. And just like Batman and Robin protect Gotham, these natural mosquito killers will keep your backyard villain free.