How to create a ‘Bucket of Doom’ to manage mosquitos in Wilmington, NC
Home & Gardening

How to create a ‘Bucket of Doom’ to manage mosquitos in Wilmington, NC

It has been a glorious spring here in southeastern North Carolina with gentle temperatures and consistent rainfall. My garden has responded to the rain with a profusion of flowers that are attracting bees, butterflies and other beneficial insects. Unfortunately, the mild and wet winter has provided the perfect conditions for a less welcome insect in my garden: the mosquito.   

No one enjoys getting bitten by a mosquito and sometimes we can start to wonder why these insects even exist! Believe it or not, mosquitos do serve a purpose in the ecosystem. They can serve as pollinators for some plants with both male and female mosquitos eating nectar from flowers. Male mosquitos will exclusively eat nectar throughout their lives and females will only seek a blood meal before laying eggs. Mosquitos are also part of the food web (larvae and adults) serving as food sources for dragonflies, turtles, bats, and birds.