As we are becoming more visible in the Atlanta area–thank you, families!–I am getting more contacts and questions, including about different types of mosquito buckets. A few of our potential clients have, I think, opted for the mosquito buckets installed and serviced by several other local companies. These, to my knowledge, all come from the In2Care system, designed in the Netherlands.
And I get it. My family had those in our yard for several years. They were, at the time, the best choice I could find. And some of the companies in Atlanta whose missions and values I admire and support use them. If you want to know who they are, reach out. I can recommend them.
BUT I did not understand then that In2Care systems use a synthetic, chemical larvicide (pyriproxyfen), albeit in low doses, in combination with a fungus that causes it to adhere to female mosquitoes and be spread to other water sources.
Pyriproxyfen is a growth regulator and, in many ways, has the same effect as Bti, which is a biological agent. In2Care systems are certainly better than abatement sprays, but their chemicals will still harm pollinators who venture into buckets. The Bti in B Buckets will not.
When I had In2Care’s system and proprietary buckets in my yard (for a few years), we have ongoing issues with the buckets, especially in the final year. I designed B Buckets to reduce chemical controls and resolve functional challenges. The buckets were constantly toppled by squirrels (and the water spilled out, making the system ineffective); the lids stopped attaching, multiple times (the buckets were removed and reinstalled–new each time, so I thought–every fall/spring). When the buckets turned over and broke apart, they invited more squirrels and also my dogs. I stopped putting them inside my fence.
So far, there have been no reports of any squirrels, dogs, or kids getting into or knocking over B Buckets.
In this, our inaugural season, we have placed buckets in almost 70 yards so far in neighborhoods around Atlanta. We anticipate that we’ll start offering installation and service next spring, as we surmise that these options are leading some families to choose In2Care. And, as working parents, we get it. And we are trying to resolve this issue, too. We believe in B Buckets – safer for bees, butterflies & birds, and better for pollinators, pets, people & our planet.
If you are reading this blog, and you would really like monthly service as an option in 2025-26, please reach out and let us know.
*and thanks to Laura @nurture.native.nature for thoughts on these distinctions between buckets earlier in the summer
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