I'm really new to gardening and don't have a clue about anything. I'm putting in a pond, and I know it's going to bring a lot of mosquitos, so I was thinking if I could plant some carnivorous plants around it that would help control it. I don't know if it's possible with our winters and soil and all that but I'm looking for suggestions on how I can control the bugs without having an ugly zapper.

Will your pond have fishies? THey will eat up the bugs without any encouragement.

Hi Keith,

In case you missed my post up top I thought I'd post it down here too.

Skeeters don't like moving water so a fountain helps alot. Also fish in your pond will eat the larva. That should get you down to a manageable skeeter population.

Of course with my arms covered in skeeter bites I think one is way to many of those mean little suckers.

Enjoy the forum.

Hi! mntsitalons
Welcome!

If you aren't going to have fish in your pond there are products out there that you can use that are safe that control mosquitoes. I use Mosquito Dunks. If you are going to have fish they will control them.

Donna

No I have some fish too put in the pond. I was thinking a few Koi. Any other suggestions? Are there any good pictures to look at too get some ideas. I plan to put it on tomorrow. Thank you.

Unless this is going to be a very large pond, koi probably aren't the best choice. On average, koi need to be stocked at a couple gallons for each fish. They get huge and need lots of room to move around, thus the need for so much water. They also require deeper ponds (more than 3 feet deep) and longer ponds (at least 10 feet long)....and they jump.

Koi are great for large scale ponds, but most back yard ponds aren't the best bet.

There are still lots of beautiful goldfish that would work though. You can keep it simple and cheap and get a few feeder goldies (plan for 1 goldfish for each 10g of water in the pond) or you can get a bit more exotic with the sarasa comets (long tails and tend to be orange and white.) You could also use shubunkins which can be absolutely stunning and easy to see in a pond setting.

I would avoid the egg shaped goldies, like orandas, moors, ryunkins, telescopes, etc. Their body shapes make them move slower and mean they end up as targets for birds and other animals. They also require more tropical water temps due to their digestive tracts.