Central Texas Gardener - Can I use Mosquito Dunks or Bits in my rain barrel to water my vegetables?

Question of the Week

Can I use Mosquito Dunks or Bits in my rain barrel to water my vegetables?

Yes, it's perfectly fine to use them! These products contain microbial larvacides, commonly referred to as Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis). If that sounds familiar, it's probably because you have used that product to kill tomato hornworms or other destructive caterpillars.

For mosquitoes, it is Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis.

The Bt bacterium is lethal to the larvae of certain insects, but it has no toxic effects on humans, pets, birds, and other wildlife. In this case, it targets mosquitoes and some flies (but not pesky house flies).

So yes, it's very, very safe. These products are only active for about thirty days though, so put yourself on a schedule, and make sure to follow it or you will have mosquitoes.

You can get the Dunks for larger spots or break them into pieces. Or use Bits for small places.

For the rain barrels, you can also use a fine mesh screen such as those for windows. As long as you can keep the mosquitoes away from being able to land on the water and lay their eggs, you'll be fine.

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June 18th, 2011