Mosquitoes in the Birdbaths

by Donna Lewis

Lately, I keep hearing on the news about West Nile Disease and that you should dump out any standing water. While there is some merit to this statement, it also makes people think they should not have bird baths out. Wrong…

Many items that hold standing water like old tires or things laying around in junk yards that can hold water probably should be addressed.

Please do not include bird baths in this category! We are in a severe hot weather event and birds could use our help. Putting out as many containers that hold water as possible could save the life of a bird, a bunny, or any living creature. I am also including your pets if they must be outside.

I have many different types of bird baths on our property.  Some sit directly on the ground for bunnies and the birds.

It is simple to keep the water safe for humans and the wild things. Note that it takes about 10 days or so for mosquitoes to hatch from a standing water source. Running water does not generally pose a threat, because the larvae or eggs are washed away if the water is running.

Of course, bird baths, which don’t have running water, CAN be a target for mosquitoes. BUT it is so easy to keep that from happening.

First, in this heat, shallow water will evaporate long before 10 days is up. But we probably don’t want to let our water for our friends dry up.

The easiest thing to do to stop mosquitoes is to just dump the water out every day and fill it with fresh water. Problem solved. How hard can that be? Fresh water is good for the birds and animals, anyway.

You also buy mosquito dunks at the hardware store. These work well but can cost a lot.

Other Birdbath Maintenance Recommendations

If you have a lot of algae, you can easily clean it with a plastic putty knife. No cleaners are needed. Or you can just rinse it out, the animals don’t care. if there’s algae in their water. Think of it from their perspective.   

The water is safer for the smaller birds when it is no deeper than four inches.

If you can put the water container under a tree or have some shade over it, that will be better, and the water won’t get as hot.

Yes, cats can be a problem for the birds if the container is near a tree or bush. They love to hide and then pounce. It’s their nature.  Cats need water also, and love to get a drink and a snack at the same time. So be cautious where you put your containers.

With just a small effort on your part, our wild things can be helped during this extreme weather. All things need water.