If there’s anything that can ruin the quiet of the morning or a relaxing sunset over your pond, it’s pests. These little critters, winged or legged, can wreak havoc on your carefully planned and beautifully maintained pond or water garden. Here’s what to do to kick out common uninvited guests.
Geese and Other Birds
Geese sure are picturesque – but they can also be messy, loud, and, on occasion, aggressive. One of the most effective methods of control for geese are decoy coyotes. Using a life-like, full sized decoy coyote can be a great way to chase away pesky geese. Decoys can be set up so that they move when the wind hits them, and if you move them to a new location by your pond every few days or so, the geese will not become accustomed to the decoys, increasing effectiveness.
Many birds can decimate your fish population. Keep them away with a great horned owl decoy (example). This owl is the natural “enemy” of many species and they will steer clear of your pond. Again, make sure to move it frequently. If you’ve got a blue heron problem, scare it away with a blue heron decoy; these birds rarely flock together!
Need more help deterring nuisance fowl? Read about the Bird Laser.
Muskrats
Nothing can ruin a picturesque pond like these busy animals! A single pair can move in to your pond, and before you know it, you have a whole colony. Apart from their nasty habit of leaving vegetation scattered about and chewing on your aerator lines, these rodents are happiest when burrowing through your pond bank, causing collapses and leaks. So how do we get rid of these destructive little critters? The best way to rid yourself of this pest is through humane trapping. You can opt for foothold traps or box traps (box traps can trap multiple rats). If you prefer not to do this yourself, contact a local trapper to take care of it. They charge a nominal fee or even do it free for the practice and/or hide.
Why not live trap them? Because when you release them elsewhere, they become someone else’s problem. So, it’s often illegal.
Learn more about muskrats and removal tactics here.
Mosquitoes
Almost everyone has a happy place they can escape to at the end of a work week: your work shop, quilting room, even the gym. For many pond owners, it’s a lawn chair, watching the sun go down as their fish start their evening feeding at the edge of their pond. Nothing could ruin this moment for them… until the mosquitoes show up. After that, well, the party is pretty much over. So, how do you get rid of these winged marauders?
First, get your water moving. Mosquitoes need to lay their eggs in stagnant or still water, and nothing moves the water in your pond better than a bubbling aerator. Or, if you have a small back yard water feature, a small fountain could be perfect. If you have tires, buckets, pet dishes, or other receptacles that can hold stagnant water around your pond and yard, dump them. You don’t want to create more breeding grounds. Also, while you may think mosquitoes sole source of food is you, they eat algae as well. Use a safe algae controlling product to deplete the food that larval mosquitos need.
If all else fails, attract bats. Bats feast on mosquitoes and leave us alone. A single bat can eat 1,000 mosquitoes per hour. Just think what a whole colony of bats could do! Invite bats into your pond area with a bat house.
Want to know more? Get detailed mosquito removal instructions here.
If you’ve got a pest problem, we’ve got a solution. Ask us how we can keep your mornings calm, your evenings relaxing, and all-the-time-in-between free of problem critters.
