Hi from Kentucky!

[YShahar]

I wouldn't like the look of mosquito netting and it would keep out the birds who like to drink from the waterfall, but thanks for the suggestion. Besides, I'm always on the go and wouldn't sit by it if I could. I get my pond time feeding the fish and cleaning the filters. I'm getting ready to repot the taro plants I have, but I need some advice, so I'll post my question in a thread about plants.

One very effective way to keep mosquitos at bay while allowing birds to come to the pond is to keep a fan blowing on your sitting area. Mosquitos aren't strong flyers, and can't easily negotiate moving air. In addition, the fan blowing toward you helps to hide your scent from the mosquitos, making them "blind" to your location.

Here, we've had problems with Asian Tiger mosquitos for some years. They're active in daytime and can bite multiple times. Horrible little vampires (for the sake of political correctness, I've got nothing against vampires in general, just the ones that are out in daylight, against the rules of the trade, so to speak). I finally found a trap that works to reduce the population (of Asian Tiger mosquitos, that is) but I'm really hoping that the pond and its mosquito-eating critters will help rather than exacerbate the problem!

 

[addy1]

I finally found a trap that works to reduce the population (of Asian Tiger mosquitos, that is) but I'm really hoping that the pond and its mosquito-eating critters will help rather than exacerbate the problem!

We are pretty mosquito free, go a street over and they complain about the biters. I think the frogs, birds, dragon flies etc keep them in check.

 

[Janne]

I'm in my 70's and retired. My dad and brothers built me a pond at least 20 years ago, and it's one of the best things about my home. If it weren't for mosquitoes and wasps (hate them), I'd be out there a lot more. I take care of it myself and have some waders that I use when I clean the filters. It has a small waterfall and a small fountain. There are about 25 goldfish in it. One of my fish is blind, so I feed him food that sinks and make sure he gets some of it. Until I added some safe areas for the babies to go, I had no new fish. Well, I probably had them, but they were eaten. Now, they have a place to get away from the predators and some manage to live. This is an old photo of my pond when it was doing quite well.

Lovely! I also am in my 70's (past the middle) and am a pond keeper. With the help of husband, I manage about 4000 gallons and too many fish. Have you tried mosquito bits? They are easy to use, nontoxic, and will definitely help. I've knocked wasps into the water with the pond net and dispatched them. Good luck and enjoy your pond.