Notes on the viral "Mosquito Bucket of Doom"

Alternate names: Mosquito Bucket of Death, Mosquito Bucket Challenge, Mosquito Larvae Trap, Mosquito Dunk Bucket, Bti Bucket, Mosquito Egg Sink, Mosquito Tea

While VMCA advocates and commends public involvement with regards to mosquito control, the “Mosquito Bucket of Doom” has the potential for many issues that we would like to point out.

This is an attractant and it will bring mosquitoes to your yard.

There is no guarantee those mosquitoes will not bite you once they have laid eggs in this bucket.

This will only attract certain species of mosquitoes, not necessarily the ones currently biting you.

This bucket will primarily attract mosquitoes in the Aedes and Culex genera.
Aedes include the Tiger mosquito which is the primary nuisance biter in urban environments. However, mosquitoes that are coming from low-lying areas on your or your neighbor’s property, ditches, or even nearby forests and ponds will not be attracted to this bucket as they prefer more natural habitats.
Tiger mosquitoes can transmit heartworm and certain species in the Culex genus are primary vectors for West Nile virus in our area. These are not mosquitoes you want to be inviting to your yard.
If the water is too putrid from sitting for several weeks, Tiger mosquitoes will not be attracted to it.

This is not a solution to kill all the mosquitoes in your yard.

There are many places that mosquitoes can lay their eggs. The Tiger mosquito does not “put all her eggs in one basket.” She likes to lay in several different containers, so unless you have eliminated all other sources of water, only a small fraction of eggs will be laid in this bucket. And as stated in the previous point, mosquitoes lay their eggs in all kinds of environments, many preferring natural habitats over artificial containers like buckets.

It is very easy to forget to add the larvicide (mosquito dunk) on a regular basis.

If larvicide is not added regularly then the bucket just breeds more mosquitoes to feed on you.

VMCA Recommendations

VMCA does not encourage the use of the “Mosquito Bucket of Doom” for the reasons listed above. Instead, we encourage homeowners to be proactive in their yards by emptying any container that holds water on a weekly basis (toys, tires, flower pot saucers, tarps, pet bowls, drain pipes, rain gutters, etc.). If you have ornamental ponds, low-lying areas that hold water, or any item that you are unable to dump water at least weekly, that is where you should place a mosquito dunk to treat for mosquito larvae. We also encourage citizens to contact their local mosquito control programs. Many programs will come to your home and perform a free inspection to find and treat areas breeding mosquitoes. Some give out mosquito dunks or mosquito fish for free and may be able to spray your area with an adulticide if necessary.