Planter box has flies around, help! - Page 2

05-01-2010, 11:58 AM

i just discovered i have the same problem......plenty dead in the chamber and hundreds resting on the under-cover of my wooden decking. i heard that pandan leaves will help to drive away mozzies, not sure if it is the same for midges. Will try tonight and let you guys know if it works.

melvin

innovest_11 · 05-01-2010, 06:38 PM

Believe it or not, i went to the extreme of killing the mosquito. i open up the filter chamber, take out all the stones and corels and throw them all away, millions of blood worms there! Left 3 kgs of corels and filter medium, throw away 10kg.

3 kg of filter wash and wash till no more blood worms. Then decided not to put them into filter chamber yet.

So now my koi no filter material in the chamber, but the water pump still going. And also change the water till the water is clear, can see the koi, last time, cannot see koi when it is at the bottom.

Regret change so much water, koi gasping for air. Lucky they are ok now...

So now my planter pond has no filter, haha, and no more flies already.

Didn't know that there are so many millions of blood worms which tranform into flies, in my filter, no wonder i cannot finish killing them, now all clear

Decided not to feed the koi yet, keep the water clean first. Will be buying some small feeder koi put into the filter chamber, in case some stupid mosquito come and lay eggs

06-01-2010, 01:18 PM

u are one funny guy....

innovest_11 · 06-01-2010, 04:42 PM

No choice, cause the hundreds of mosquito driving me to the wall, so now no filter, but the koi still ok, but not feeding now, monitoring the flies problem first

06-01-2010, 05:16 PM

what are actually midges:

The midge belongs to the family of flying insects called CHIRONOMIDAE . They are small (some are very small), delicate, and somewhat mosquito-like in appearance. The larvae of midges are aquatic, living in the soft organic bottoms of bays, lakes, ponds, even lagoons. The adults often occur in swarms in areas near to their larval aquatic habitat. Although harmless and non-biting, chironomid midges are readily attracted to lights and some can easily penetrate ordinary window screens. Lake-front homes, sporting facilities, recreational areas and businesses can be blanketed with the insects after times of peak emergence. Since they have a short life span the accumulation of dead midges around a home can cause some distress. Because of these reasons, midges become a matter of public concern.

Control of midges has been very ineffective. Nearly all attempts at control have yielded poor results at best because of the types of habitat that they breed in and their habits once they are adults. The problems with larval control are that, in general, the larvicides available are relatively ineffective against midges. This is probably because they are protected within their tubes in the soft mud and the pesticide is diluted by the large amounts of water in the breeding habitat. Likewise, adult control is also nearly as impossible. The adult midges tend to congregate on the lee-side of any obstruction (i.e., Homes, bushes, cars, etc.). Any type of area wide spray, even aerial spraying, does not reach the adults where they are swarming, and thus has no effect. An additional problem is that, since the adults are continuously emerging and replacing any that would be killed, any reduction would be short lived. Area type spraying has been tried in many areas around the country with virtually no success. All things considered, the most effective measures against midges are ones that the homeowners can do themselves. Most of these do not require the use of pesticides.

1. Avoid outdoor and bright lighting near open windows. Midges are attracted to light and would be more likely to come in a window by a light.

2. Close windows on the leeward side of house. Remember - they are trying to get out of the wind. So make it less accessible for them in these areas.

3. Spray resting & swarming midges with water from a garden hose & nozzle. Water pressure out of such a nozzle can kill resting midges. This will give some temporary relief from the adults that are swarming on structures and wash away the dead ones.

4. Temporary spraying of swarming midges. Spray swarming midges and yard area with an area type spray. (Use as directed on the label.) This will kill the existing adult midges just as #3 above, however, this becomes more expensive than using a hose and water.

5. Residual spray of resting areas using insecticides. Spray resting areas such as bushes, grass. etc. where adult midges would rest, with a more residual pesticide. These can be purchased at a hardware or home & garden (Lowes, Home Depot) center for homeowners use. Follow the directions for treating adult flies. This should control the midges that are there and provide some residual to kill incoming midges.

06-01-2010, 05:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by innovest_11

No choice, cause the hundreds of mosquito driving me to the wall, so now no filter, but the koi still ok, but not feeding now, monitoring the flies problem first

Seriously bro. The midge eggs are all over your pond. What you did may have drastically reduced the population. But once you put in new filter media, the process would start up again.

The only way to make sure your pond is fully clear is to empty it out and let it dry up or put in some chlorine to kill everything (without your koi of course!).

Unfortunately it is a problem that cannot be truly eradicated. Nature will always find a way. Only way to control it is to have regular cleaning sessions. I find most of the eggs get caught in the first mechanical stage filters so I clean that weekly nowadays.

I have used Dimilin to control the numbers somewhat successfully, but again it is also a limited solution. I dose with Dimilin occasionally and this 2-prong approach seems to work abit.

What to do...

innovest_11 · 07-01-2010, 11:46 AM

Now this morning wake up and see , completely no more flies, i think all the flies comes from the filter, and now my filter is empty without any filter material. Don't dare to put in, u know it is really a pain cleaning/removing the corels full of worms.

So for time being, leave it as it is as the koi seems happy and hungry looking

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rock

Seriously bro. The midge eggs are all over your pond. What you did may have drastically reduced the population. But once you put in new filter media, the process would start up again.

The only way to make sure your pond is fully clear is to empty it out and let it dry up or put in some chlorine to kill everything (without your koi of course!).

Unfortunately it is a problem that cannot be truly eradicated. Nature will always find a way. Only way to control it is to have regular cleaning sessions. I find most of the eggs get caught in the first mechanical stage filters so I clean that weekly nowadays.

I have used Dimilin to control the numbers somewhat successfully, but again it is also a limited solution. I dose with Dimilin occasionally and this 2-prong approach seems to work abit.

What to do...

**TVR** · 07-01-2010, 01:40 PM

If the adult can't reach the water surface, problem will be solved. I used to have that problem and manage to solve it by covering the filtration pond with a DIY green netting.

innovest_11 · 07-01-2010, 01:46 PM

Thanks for your solution, will try it, meaning no gap allow for the mosquito to go in the filter side right

Quote:

Originally Posted by TVR

If the adult can't reach the water surface, problem will be solved. I used to have that problem and manage to solve it by covering the filtration pond with a DIY green netting.

08-01-2010, 09:08 AM

Great, was thinking about doing that. Definitely going to now that I know it works for you. Thanks TVR.

05-01-2010, 11:58 AM	#11
melvvvv Guest Posts: n/a	i just discovered i have the same problem......plenty dead in the chamber and hundreds resting on the under-cover of my wooden decking. i heard that pandan leaves will help to drive away mozzies, not sure if it is the same for midges. Will try tonight and let you guys know if it works. melvin

05-01-2010, 06:38 PM	#12
innovest_11 Dragon Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 528	Believe it or not, i went to the extreme of killing the mosquito. i open up the filter chamber, take out all the stones and corels and throw them all away, millions of blood worms there! Left 3 kgs of corels and filter medium, throw away 10kg. 3 kg of filter wash and wash till no more blood worms. Then decided not to put them into filter chamber yet. So now my koi no filter material in the chamber, but the water pump still going. And also change the water till the water is clear, can see the koi, last time, cannot see koi when it is at the bottom. Regret change so much water, koi gasping for air. Lucky they are ok now... So now my planter pond has no filter, haha, and no more flies already. Didn't know that there are so many millions of blood worms which tranform into flies, in my filter, no wonder i cannot finish killing them, now all clear Decided not to feed the koi yet, keep the water clean first. Will be buying some small feeder koi put into the filter chamber, in case some stupid mosquito come and lay eggs

06-01-2010, 01:18 PM	#13
terence28 Guest Posts: n/a	u are one funny guy....

06-01-2010, 04:42 PM	#14
innovest_11 Dragon Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 528	No choice, cause the hundreds of mosquito driving me to the wall, so now no filter, but the koi still ok, but not feeding now, monitoring the flies problem first

06-01-2010, 05:16 PM	#15
melvvvv Guest Posts: n/a	what are actually midges: The midge belongs to the family of flying insects called CHIRONOMIDAE . They are small (some are very small), delicate, and somewhat mosquito-like in appearance. The larvae of midges are aquatic, living in the soft organic bottoms of bays, lakes, ponds, even lagoons. The adults often occur in swarms in areas near to their larval aquatic habitat. Although harmless and non-biting, chironomid midges are readily attracted to lights and some can easily penetrate ordinary window screens. Lake-front homes, sporting facilities, recreational areas and businesses can be blanketed with the insects after times of peak emergence. Since they have a short life span the accumulation of dead midges around a home can cause some distress. Because of these reasons, midges become a matter of public concern. Control of midges has been very ineffective. Nearly all attempts at control have yielded poor results at best because of the types of habitat that they breed in and their habits once they are adults. The problems with larval control are that, in general, the larvicides available are relatively ineffective against midges. This is probably because they are protected within their tubes in the soft mud and the pesticide is diluted by the large amounts of water in the breeding habitat. Likewise, adult control is also nearly as impossible. The adult midges tend to congregate on the lee-side of any obstruction (i.e., Homes, bushes, cars, etc.). Any type of area wide spray, even aerial spraying, does not reach the adults where they are swarming, and thus has no effect. An additional problem is that, since the adults are continuously emerging and replacing any that would be killed, any reduction would be short lived. Area type spraying has been tried in many areas around the country with virtually no success. All things considered, the most effective measures against midges are ones that the homeowners can do themselves. Most of these do not require the use of pesticides. 1. Avoid outdoor and bright lighting near open windows. Midges are attracted to light and would be more likely to come in a window by a light. 2. Close windows on the leeward side of house. Remember - they are trying to get out of the wind. So make it less accessible for them in these areas. 3. Spray resting & swarming midges with water from a garden hose & nozzle. Water pressure out of such a nozzle can kill resting midges. This will give some temporary relief from the adults that are swarming on structures and wash away the dead ones. 4. Temporary spraying of swarming midges. Spray swarming midges and yard area with an area type spray. (Use as directed on the label.) This will kill the existing adult midges just as #3 above, however, this becomes more expensive than using a hose and water. 5. Residual spray of resting areas using insecticides. Spray resting areas such as bushes, grass. etc. where adult midges would rest, with a more residual pesticide. These can be purchased at a hardware or home & garden (Lowes, Home Depot) center for homeowners use. Follow the directions for treating adult flies. This should control the midges that are there and provide some residual to kill incoming midges.

07-01-2010, 01:40 PM	#18
TVR Moderator Join Date: Aug 2004 Posts: 1,998	If the adult can't reach the water surface, problem will be solved. I used to have that problem and manage to solve it by covering the filtration pond with a DIY green netting.

08-01-2010, 09:08 AM	#20
Rock Guest Posts: n/a	Great, was thinking about doing that. Definitely going to now that I know it works for you. Thanks TVR.

Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)