Tiny pond and mossie breeding?

twopenny

I now have a tiny pond in a terracotta pot. It's 18" diameter.
Last year as i waited to seal it through rain, drought and more rain there were plenty of mossie lavae.
I like all windows and doors open when possible and mossies love me.

It will be a while until I can get a little solar  fountain, there are frogs about but not reliable enough.
Anyone have suggestions about ways to deter the mossies without harming the frogs?

I read about olive oil but that would coat the frogs.
I have blanket weed formed in a pot that filled with rain so frogs must have visited that but I read that it removes oxygen from the 'pond'.
I have access to duckweed.

sheramber

Have a look at Mosquito Dunks.

They claim to be safe to all pond wildlife 

twopenny

Thanks Sheramber. I'll do that.
Just accidentally knocked the pot while weeding, dislodged the climbing out stones and there's already a frog in there in about 6" of water. 
I'm going to have to create some sort of ladder instead
 

greyteam1959

If you get bitten by mosquito's the best thing to use is ordinary table salt.
Wet you finger & rub the salt on the bite.
Works extremely well & very MSE.

twopenny

Excellent, thank you.

Also easy to get hold of

So far I have a frog munching on the lava so happy for now.

-taff

greyteam1959 said:

If you get bitten by mosquito's the best thing to use is ordinary table salt.
Wet you finger & rub the salt on the bite.
Works extremely well & very MSE.

I'll try that. Last year I had an amazingly glowing reaction to bites, I don't fancy that again.

eDicky

I was told that a piece of copper in the water prevents mosquitos breeding in it. I threw a piece in my pond and never see mosquito larvae there (they breed elsewhere) but that could be for other reasons, predated by frogs, newts etc, or not stagnant enough. I guess any kind of fish would mop up larvae.

twopenny

Interesting. I'll look into that.
Mines too small for fish. I couldn't condemn them to going round in circles 

FreeBear

Nepeta Cataria (catnip) is known to act as an insect repellent. You could plant a bit round the pond (pot) and/or rub the leaves on your skin. There are also sprays available that you could try. One example - https://www.bmstores.co.uk/products/garfield-crazy-catnip-spray-100ml-365920

twopenny

Now that's one I haven't heard of.
I have made a cream with citronella oil in for walks on the moor this summer- ever hopeful we'll get one - as they no longer seem to make that now.
Would the cat nip one get me followed by the neighbourhood cats though?

RAS

Hmm.

I have some nepata in a hanging basket as a lockdown blue flower to contrast with what I could get. Took the hanging basket down to refresh the planting and wondered why next door's cat was trying to make out with some wire and soil?

Had to relocate the basket promptly and realised it may be why cats seem to jump up onto an adjacent window sill.