We live across from a swamp. Literally. Here's a view of it from the road.
Close up.
And if you turn around and take a photo of our property from the exact same position, this is the proximity it is to the swamp.
You might think it has enough distance not to be affected by the mosquitoes that harvest in that swamp, but I can tell you it is not. The swamp is about 200 hectres across and consists mainly of swamp land. On the other side is our local town. It has a reputation of being infested with mosquitoes. So the mosquitoes on our property have been a nuisance since the warm weather arrived. Our daily attire consists of this. I spend a small fortunate on this stuff.
We get eaten alive so often that there isn't a series of photos I take a day that don't include someone swatting a mosquito.
And it's embarrassing when we have company and they aren't aware of our mosquito problem and spend the entire visit swatting and crying out in pain and frustration. Others, like the inlaws, know to come prepared and bring their own repellent. So we've been working hard at battling these nasty mosquitoes. A big job that is never ending is keeping the yard well maintained and not allowing tall grass or weeds for the adult mosquitoes to nest.
Of course this lawn feature doesn't help.
Stagnant water is perfect breeding grounds for mosquitoes. We do have a fountain that keeps the water moving but it is run by electricity and we really watch our hydro consumption. So we have added goldfish and koi to help rid of the eggs and larvae. In addition, we also bought these guys.
But they turned out to be more pond ornaments than a defense against mosquitoes, so we bought more.
Meanwhile, I dug deeper in my research on muscovy ducks and contacted a breeder not far from our farm. When visiting her farm, I discovered she lived in a wooded area with a far, far larger pond than ours, along with six horses, two goats, chickens and lots and lots of muscovy ducks. All on a smaller acreage than our property. And she had absolute no mosquito problem. Even her horses were able to go without fly masks. She credited it back to her muscovy ducks. So guess what I came home with.
I'm under no illusion they will rid my farm entirely of mosquitoes but if they could cut down the numbers even just slightly so that we can sit outside and actually enjoy the outdoors, then I'll be happy. Either way, I know one little man who was thrilled to bring them home.
We have a huge problem with gnats here. They are stupid and bounce off of our faces all the time. You can see the gnats swarming people's heads when you look at them. Hats help, but not a whole lot. I have yet to find an animal that helps with gnats.
I am wondering if there is anyway you can treat the water? I know there is something our city does, but I don't know what it is. Sunrise and sunset is the worst time isn't it?
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I live a very simple life on a small hobby farm along with my husband, three kids, and an assortment of animals. Life may be simple but I love every minute of it.