Mosquitoes in my lucky bamboo

March 27, 2024 11:41 PM

How can I prevent mosquitos from breeding in my lucky bamboo when I can't easily change the water?

I have a large vase full of several very long and healthy stalks of lucky bamboo (dracaena sanderiana). It is a beaker-shaped vase, so has a wide base and long, narrow neck. As a result, the roots have grown into each other and the plants can no longer be pulled out, either individually or together. The vase + lucky bamboo is nearly 5 feet tall, so it's not easy to just tip out the water indoors in my small apartment.

Now that it's getting warmer we're getting mosquitos, and the main suspect is the vase with the plant. Normally I would just replace the water every couple of days and rinse out the roots, but it's not feasible in this case.

How can I prevent mosquitos from breeding without damaging the lucky bamboo or having to carry it up and down 4 flights of stairs down to the street? Eg - would occasionally adding a drop of oil or dish soap in the water harm the plant and prevent mosquitos from breeding?

(Or should I just get the plants out of the vase somehow, trim the roots and maybe even replant in soil?)

posted by tavegyl to Home & Garden (11 answers total)

Best answer: Mosquito Bits! They are pellets that you can put in the water which have a bacteria (nematode? Something alive) that is specific to the gut of mosquitos and fungus gnats that can't hurt anything else. You can get them at hardware stores, feed stores, and online.
posted by blnkfrnk at 12:23 AM on March 28 [11 favorites]

so it's not easy to just tip out the water indoors in my small apartment.

Siphon it out: a long-enough narrow tube and a length of hose that fits the tube. I know there are novelty drinking straws a meter (3') long, and hardware/hobby stores should carry aluminium tubes that should fit the bill. Hose: aquarium shops, or the gardening section in a hardware store. Get a diameter that just fits over the tube, and a matching hose clamp. Or just hose all the way with something stiff attached for the part that goes into the vase, so that you can push it down past the bamboo roots.
posted by Stoneshop at 1:43 AM on March 28

Best answer: I think I would try packing the neck with cottonwool or J-cloth, so that air/moisture can pass but not the mozzies.
posted by BobTheScientist at 3:37 AM on March 28

You want a larvicide. They should be available at any gardening store.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 5:48 AM on March 28

Mosquito Bits! They are pellets that you can put in the water which have a bacteria (nematode? Something alive) that is specific to the gut of mosquitos and fungus gnats that can't hurt anything else. You can get them at hardware stores, feed stores, and online.

A variation of this that I see a lot are "mosquito dunks" (available online or at big box DIY stores); if they are too big you could break one up and use small pieces.
posted by Dip Flash at 6:37 AM on March 28

I use mosquito dunks in my *watering can*. Just add a piece a couple of hours before watering. The active ingredient is a bacterium, so this gets it in the water. The dunks and bits otherwise rot if they're left in the growing medium.
posted by Wilbefort at 8:33 AM on March 28 [2 favorites]

variation of this that I see a lot are "mosquito dunks"

I'm pretty sure Dunks are preventative and Bits are for when the larvae are already growing.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 11:15 AM on March 28

I think the dunks and/or bits are probably the answer, but a thought re: replacing the water -- if you put the whole thing in the tub, could you either tip it over to empty it in there, or just run water into the vessel so it overflows, and then some, until all the water is replaced?
posted by librarina at 3:21 PM on March 28

I'm pretty sure Dunks are preventative and Bits are for when the larvae are already growing.

Nah, they're both corn husks inoculated with Bacillus thuringiensis (Bti), which will infect the mosquito larvae, replicate in their GI tract and make them starve to death instead of maturing into adult bloodsuckers.

The only difference is the size/format.
posted by deludingmyself at 6:06 PM on March 28 [4 favorites]

Can you put the vase into the tub or on grass or even in a bucket, and just overfill it for a few minutes until the water all flushes out?
posted by nouvelle-personne at 4:57 AM on March 29

Response by poster: Thanks all. Marked as best answer the (first) one to suggest a long-term solution and the short-term solution I'll use till I can find out if the biopesticide is available here.
posted by tavegyl at 11:52 PM on March 30