Mosquitos are a menace that cause many life-threatening diseases like dengue and typhoid fever. They can live in both clean standing water or dirty water, hence if you are not careful, they can quickly breed and infest inside and out of your house as long as there’s standing water.
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Thankfully, there are two ingenious products to deal with this: mosquito dunk and mosquito bits. In this article, we take a look at the difference between mosquito dunks and mosquito bits and which is better in what situation to help get rid of and prevent mosquito infestation.
Difference Between Mosquito Dunks and Mosquito Bits
Essentially, both mosquito dunks and mosquito bits are made from the same active ingredient called Bacillus Thuringiensis Israelensis (Bti), which is effective in controlling and killing mosquito larvae. They are also relatively safe to use around humans, pets, and plants and hence do not cause any harm to the environment when used outdoors.
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The main difference between mosquito dunks and bits is their shape and size. A mosquito dunk has the shape of a small donut and is bigger in size as compared to the mosquito bit. And because of its size difference, it usually contains more active ingredients than mosquito bits. A single mosquito dunk can be used in a large body of water like a large water fountain or artificial pond. You can also break a single dunk into small pieces for smaller sized ponds.
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On the other hand, mosquito bits are smaller and look like small pellets. Because of their size and the fact that there are more surface areas that touch the water when in contact, mosquito bits release the active ingredient faster and can be used in areas with patches of water, like the shallow parts of the pond, in the field near water catchment areas.
How to Apply Mosquito Dunks and Mosquito Bits
To use the mosquito dunk or mosquito bit products, simply remove them from their packaging and toss them in the water you want to treat.
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Most mosquito dunks can last for about 30 days in water. These are great for larger water bodies that usually have water permanently that could host and allow mosquito breeding like a swamp, a pond, or a water feature in your garden.
Mosquito bits dissolve much quicker, usually around 24 – 30 hours. Due to the small size of mosquito bits, they are ideal for smaller water features like a birdbath, fountain, field or puddle.
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One great thing about these products is that you can apply them even in dry areas where you expect to have standing water. Some great examples are dry catchment areas outside where you know you will likely catch water when it rains, for example unused tyres outside the garage, empty containers, plant pots that you know does filter water out properly, large/deep grass patches in the garden etc. [May: Or if you know that you will be heading out of the house for quite awhile and expect a certain area to catch water when you’re gone.]
Mosquito Dunks and Bits are Effective Against Fungus Gnat too
Most mosquito dunks and bits are also effective in controlling fungus gnats. These are very small pests that fly around, breeding in water and moist soil. To apply, mix dunk/bits with water and spray the mixture to your plants or pour treated water into soil where fungus gnats grow.
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Advantages of using Mosquito Dunks
To summarise, here are the advantages of using mosquito dunks:
- Last longer and have more active ingredients, which makes it Ideal for use in a large body of water in the same area.
- Can be broken into smaller pieces for use in a smaller water feature or body of water.
- Does not let out any smell.
- Effective in killing mosquitoes but are safe to be used around humans and other animals and plants.
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Advantage of using Mosquito Bits
Here are the advantages of using mosquito bits:
- Small in size and fast-acting.
- Best to be applied in a smaller area or sparse area of water.
- Like dunks, they don’t let out any smell.
- These are safe and ready to use.
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Final Thoughts
The key to preventing mosquito infestation is to monitor water catchment areas both in and outside of the house. Both mosquito dunks and mosquito bits offer a very cost effective solution that works in controlling growth of mosquitoes in your outdoor area.
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If you live near the forested area or in the woods, also consider spreading these products beyond your home perimeter. Do ensure you are well protected with mosquito repellents and cover clothes when you take a walk to monitor for potential breeding grounds. Also consider other mosquito killing methods in conjunction with mosquito dunks and bits.