Wednesday, 29 July 2015

There Are Tiny Worms In My Birdbath

Those little worms in the birdbath are mosquito larvae.


In most cases, the tiny worms in a birdbath are not true worms but are mosquito larvae. Not only are mosquitoes annoying, but they can carry potentially deadly diseases such as heartworm in dogs and the West Nile virus. Does this Spark an idea?


Identification


Mosquito larvae are dark brown, grey or black, thin worm-like creatures that grow up to 1/2 inch in length. Their common name is "wrigglers" because they do indeed wriggle from side to side as they swim.


Prevention


Mosquitoes only breed in still water because moving water kills the larvae. Dump the old bird bath water at least once a week, preferably every day, to kill any larvae.


Treatment


Larvicide granules containing active ingredients methoprene or Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis can be added to a birdbath to kill mosquito larvae. Place less than 12 granules in the bottom of the bird bath.

Tags: mosquito larvae, bird bath, worms birdbath