Nothing creates a cool, calm oasis in a backyard like a small pond. If you haven't installed a pump in the pond, however, it may soon become a nursery for hatching out mosquitoes. You'll also need to add a pump to the pond if you want a waterfall or a fountain in it. Does this Spark an idea?
Mosquitoes
The single most important reason for installing a pump in your pond is to keep female mosquitoes from laying their eggs in the water. Even if you don't commonly see mosquitoes in your area, chances are some species call it home. According to the University of California Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program, adult mosquitoes can live in any number of habitats, from mountain meadows at more than 10,000 feet to deserts.
Life Cycle
To develop their eggs, the female mosquitoes have to ingest blood from vertebrate animals, so they prey on livestock, pets and people. The mosquito bites by sticking her long, slender proboscis into the skin of the animal and sucking the blood out.
Once the eggs develop, the female lays them. Some species lay eggs one at a time in stagnant water, while others can lay 100 or more at a time on water. Still other species lay eggs in damp dirt that is flood-prone. Since they require water to hatch, eggs laid in soil may not hatch for years.
Larvae hatch out of the eggs and then molt four times before becoming pupae. In another day or two, adult mosquitoes emerge. The entire life cycle of a mosquito takes a week or less from the time the females lay their eggs.
A Health Threat
At the least, mosquito bites are uncomfortable, causing itching, redness and irritation and occasionally secondary infections at the wound site. But mosquitoes also can pass infections on to the animals they bite. Potentially serious diseases transmitted by mosquito bites include western equine encephalomyelitis, St. Louis encephalitis, malaria in humans and heartworm disease in dogs.
Controlling Mosquitoes
A way to help control mosquito propagation is to eliminate stagnant pools of water. A pump in your back yard pond will agitate the water and discourage female mosquitoes from laying their eggs there. The motion of the water alone is usually enough to keep mosquitoes out, but most pumps also have filtration systems. If a hardy mosquito does manage to lay her eggs in your pond, the pump can filter them out.
Water Features
Besides helping you keep mosquitoes out of your pond, a pump is necessary if you'd like to have a waterfall in the pond. The pump will move the water from the lower levels to the upper levels.
Fountains, which are simply jets of water that spray up out of the pond, also require a pump. "The Complete Patio," published by Sunset Books, offers good advice about incorporating fountains and waterfalls into your pond.
Tags: their eggs, your pond, female mosquitoes, mosquito bites, pond pump, your pond pump