Mosquito larvae

[sweetcorn]

I think I've got lots of little mosquito larvae wiggling about like miniature tadpoles in my pond. Should I be worried? Should I try and get rid of them, and if so, how? It's a very, very small pond, but I have a frog and a newt in it, along with a few plants.

[FoxHillGardener]

I think fish will eat them but not sure about newts or frogs. You could try disturbing the surface to get them to sink, but they're persistant little buggers.

Sorry, that's not much help is it? make sure you've plenty of cintronella goo and candles ready for the ones that make it to the flying stage

[Maf]

Did I read somewhere that a little (?) drop of washing up liquid breaks the surface tesnion of the water and prevents them from breathing ?

It's only 8am, could have dreamed it !

[Two_Sheds]

newts eat a lot of insect larvae, particularly that of mosquitoes.
Washing up liquid would be detrimental to all pond life, not just the mozzies.

[rustylady]

Get a couple of small goldfish from the local pet shop. They are coldwater fish and should be quite happy in your pond, plus eat lots of insect larvae.

[sweetcorn]

Like the idea of the fish! Didn't think my pond would be big enough - it's a half barrel affair. If I did get them, how can I ensure there's enough oxygen in the pond? I've got one small oxygenating plant in at the moment...

[Two_Sheds]

Fish will eat your tadpoles