Mosquitoes are pesky, annoying, and can spread deadly diseases. I am a world class mosquito magnet so I'm always looking for ways to combat the mosquitoes in my backyard. Some homeowners like to fog their yards for mosquitoes, but fogging isn’t effective and can harm other beneficial insects and animals. The mosquito 'bucket of doom' solves those problems.
Mosquitoes are part of our ecosystem and we will never get rid of them, but backyard mosquito control is important for health and safety. Mosquito-borne illnesses like malaria, dengue fever, West Nile virus, Zika virus, chikungunya, and yellow fever sicken hundreds of millions of people and result in the death of more than 600,000 people around the globe each year.
I learned about the bucket of doom mosquito control method a few years ago and finally decided it was time to give it a try. It was a quick, easy, and cheap endeavor, and is an ecologist-approved way to reduce mosquito populations in your yard. Follow along to make one of your own.
What is a Mosquito Bucket of Doom?
Despite its intense name, the bucket of doom is pretty tame. It is a passive way to get rid of mosquitoes and can be completed within five minutes. It is simply a bucket filled with water, yard debris, and a mosquito dunk.
The water and yard debris create an ideal environment for mosquitoes to lay their eggs, but the mosquito dunk prevents the larvae from reaching maturity and feasting on you while you work in your garden. Mosquito dunks are made with the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (BTi) which target the larvae of mosquitoes, black flies, and fungus gnats. They are not harmful to humans, animals, or other types of insects.
Placing a sturdy stick in the bucket aids in the escape of any curious wildlife who may fall into the bucket. You could also secure a small sheet of chicken wire over the top to prevent small mammals from falling in in the first place.
How to Make a Mosquito Bucket of Doom
It is a quick and simple process and also easy on the wallet. My mosquito bucket of doom cost less than $15. You can’t get much better than that!
Supplies
- Five-gallon bucket, or other large container you may already have
- Mosquito Dunks which can be found at Home Depot
- Water
- Yard debris
- Sturdy stick for animal egress. Make sure it sticks up past the rim of the bucket. Alternatively, you can cover the bucket opening with chicken wire.
A simple 5-gallon bucket is incredibly effective at creating a mosquito doom bucket when loaded with yard debris, water, and a mosquito dunk.
Mosquito dunks use the BTi bacterium to prevent mosquito larvae from maturing. They are safe for humans, pets, pollinators, and wildlife.
This retractable hose fills your mosquito doom bucket quickly and keeps standing water from collecting in your hose and becoming a mosquito breeding ground.
Steps
- Fill the bucket half to ⅔ full with water.
- Make it funky by putting some yard debris in the water. I used honeysuckle and grass clippings. Honeysuckle in water attracts mosquitoes at a higher rate than other types of plant material and the dried grass clippings will produce even more carbon dioxide that mosquitoes will seek out. Mosquitoes find hosts (aka you and me) by sniffing out the carbon dioxide we exhale. Don’t overfill the bucket with debris. There should be some open water on which the mosquitoes will lay their eggs.
- Drop a mosquito dunk in the bucket. I used half a dunk, but a quarter is sufficient for a single five-gallon bucket according to the directions.
- Protect wildlife by putting a stick in the bucket so they can climb out, or cover the top of the bucket with wire netting and a brick to weigh it down.
- Place the bucket in a shady area away from your house and outdoor living area. Mosquitoes love cool, damp, shady locations.
- Maintain your bucket of doom by adding a new dunk every 30 days to keep up the mosquito protection. Maintain the water level by dumping out any excess rainwater that is collected or by drilling a few holes ⅔ of the way up the bucket for excess water to flow out.
The bucket of doom will reduce mosquito populations in your yard and you can boost your results by getting your neighbors to join in the fun. You should still continue to dump out any collected rainwater in objects and kids toys laying around your yard and take care to prevent mosquitoes in bird baths. But now you can sit back and enjoy your garden with fewer mosquitoes!
