I just brought home a book from the library on bee keeping. If I think it’s manageable, maybe I’ll just move the hive out to the back of the property. It’s way too close to the deck for comfort, at least for me.

I didn’t know that butterflies like rocks! The former owner had quite a few large ones in what I loosely call the landscaping, and I was going to move them anyway. So they’ll get placed in butterfly garden, eventually. Super ideas, thank you!

Vicki

If you want an eco friendly way to control mosquitoes, there are several things you can do.

Mosquito Dunks are a safe way to control mosquitoes in standing water or ponds. Bats are also a fantastic way to reduce the mosquito population. Install a bat box or two up in the trees. They are also great fun to watch. Chickens also eat a ton of mosquitoes and other insects and will provide you with great eggs! If you want to encourage frogs and butterflies, a garden pond is a great way to attract them. They like moist, lushly planted areas. Butterflies also like rocks. A butterfly likes to suck salts from moist soil and warm their wings on a rock in the early morning before taking flight. Frogs will feed on insects of course, and they like to keep cool under the foliage of plants. The plants also keep them safe from predators. Good luck! PS- I would not get rid of the bees, they are very necessary.

I just found your blog, and I’m adding it to my faves! We’re in the process of moving to a rural home where mosquitos are going to be an issue, but where I want to encourage butterflies and the pond frogs. There’s a wooden-box honey bee hive too, which I don’t want, but also don’t want to kill off. Have you found any products that just do in the mosquitos?