BTI (Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis) is a naturally occurring soil bacterium discovered in 1976 in Israel’s Negev Desert. It produces a protein that’s toxic ONLY to mosquito, blackfly, and fungus gnat larvae — and completely harmless to mammals, birds, fish, bees, butterflies, and beneficial insects. When mosquito larvae ingest BTI, they stop feeding and die within 24 hours. It’s so safe the EPA classifies it as a “reduced-risk pesticide” and USDA approves it for organic farming.

No — and that’s actually the point. Eco Dunk targets mosquito larvae before they emerge as biting adults. Female mosquitoes (called “gravid” when ready to lay eggs) are attracted to our buckets, deposit their eggs, and fly away. When the larvae hatch, they ingest the BTI and die before becoming biting adults. One gravid female can lay 100-200 eggs at a time — by trapping her reproductive cycle, we eliminate hundreds of future biting mosquitoes per bucket per week.

You should notice significantly fewer mosquitoes within 2–4 weeks. By weeks 6–8, mosquito populations are typically reduced by 70–90%. This is because we’re stopping new mosquitoes from emerging — existing adults naturally die off within 2–4 weeks, and the next generation never makes it.

Yes — this is well-established science. Gravid female mosquitoes actively seek out standing water with organic content for egg laying. They’re attracted by the scent of decomposing organic matter, low concentrations of carbon dioxide, and visual cues like dark surfaces. Our buckets are placed in shady locations with hay or compost as attractant — exactly the conditions female mosquitoes seek.

Buckets go in shady, sheltered locations like behind bushes, beneath shrubs, in garden beds, or beside fences. They are positioned at least 6 feet from areas where you spend time outdoors — this is critical, because we want to attract mosquitoes AWAY from your patio and into the trap, not toward you. Most properties get 2-3 buckets positioned strategically around the yard perimeter.

Yes — completely. BTI is approved for use in drinking water cisterns and ornamental fish ponds. The World Health Organization uses it in malaria prevention programs in developing countries. Even if a child or dog drank water from an Eco Dunk bucket, no harm would result. That said, we still recommend keeping buckets out of pet-reach areas to prevent tipping.

Conventional mosquito fogging uses pyrethroid pesticides (like permethrin or bifenthrin) that are sprayed as fine mist droplets across your yard. These chemicals are non-selective — they kill virtually all insects they contact, including bees, butterflies, ladybugs, fireflies, dragonflies (which actually eat mosquitoes), and beneficial pollinators. Studies show repeat fogging reduces local insect biodiversity by 60-80%, with cascading effects on songbird populations that depend on insects for food.

Yes — that is one of the main reasons people choose Eco Dunk. Customers regularly report seeing more butterflies, bees, fireflies, and songbirds in their yards after switching from chemical fogging to Eco Dunk. Because we only target mosquito larvae, the rest of the local ecosystem thrives normally.

BTI-based larval control is actually the preferred method recommended by the CDC and WHO for community-level mosquito-borne disease prevention. By killing mosquitoes before they can mature and bite, BTI prevents the entire transmission cycle. Chemical fogging only kills adult mosquitoes that happen to be flying during the brief spray — it has no effect on larvae and provides only 1-2 days of protection.

BTI is a naturally occurring bacterium — not a synthesized chemical. It’s literally soil bacteria that produce a protein toxic only to specific fly larvae. No synthetic pesticides, no neurotoxins, no broad-spectrum insecticides. The dunks are made of the bacteria plus food-safe binding material.

For a standard Austin yard (1,000-2,500 sqft), Eco Dunk costs $100 for installation plus $20/month for ongoing maintenance during the May-October mosquito season. Total seasonal cost is approximately $220 — significantly less than the $600-$800 typical chemical fogging customers spend per season.

Two reasons. First, BTI dunks are inexpensive ($0.50-0.65 each) compared to the pesticides and labor required for fogging. Second, our system works passively — once installed, dunks last 30+ days and require only quick monthly maintenance visits, vs. fogging services that must return every 3 weeks to reapply chemicals that have broken down. Lower costs are passed directly to customers.

No contracts required. Service is month-to-month and you can cancel any time. Most customers stay because the system works and the price is fair, but we never lock anyone in.

We offer a 30-day mosquito reduction guarantee. If you don’t see a noticeable reduction in mosquito activity within 30 days of installation, we’ll add a bucket or two at no charge, or refund your installation fee.

Yes! Existing customers earn credits for every neighbor they refer who signs up. The program is managed through our customer portal — once you’re a customer, you’ll get a unique referral link to share with neighbors. Referral credits can be applied to your monthly maintenance or installation of additional buckets.

Installation typically takes 20-30 minutes per property. We do a quick site walk with you, identify the best bucket locations (shady, sheltered, away from outdoor living spaces), set up 1-4 buckets depending on yard size, add attractant materials and BTI dunks, and explain how the system works.

Monthly visits take about 10-15 minutes. We replace the spent BTI dunks (they last 30+ days), check water levels and top up if needed, remove debris and algae, and provide a quick photo report. We schedule visits during daylight hours and don’t require you to be home.

No. After the initial install, monthly maintenance takes 10–15 minutes and we can complete it without you being home. We’ll send a quick photo report after each visit so you know we’ve been by.

Properly maintained Eco Dunk buckets only attract mosquitoes (which then can’t reproduce). The water level is kept shallow and the bucket location is chosen to discourage rodents, raccoons, or birds from using it as a water source. We add a small mesh cover on request to prevent any wildlife access while still allowing mosquito entry.

Just let us know and we’ll replace it on our next visit (or sooner for urgent issues). Bucket replacement is included in your service.

In Austin, mosquito activity drops significantly from November through March. We pause monthly maintenance during these months (no charge) and resume in April/May. Some customers leave buckets in place year-round; others ask us to remove them for winter and reinstall in spring.

Absolutely! BTI dunks are available at hardware stores and we’ll happily share our setup guide. Most customers choose our service for convenience — we handle sourcing, installation, monthly maintenance, dunk replacement, and seasonal management so you don’t have to think about it. But if you’re a DIY person, this is one of the most accessible eco-pest-control projects you can do.

Eco Dunk still works in your yard regardless — the dunks attract and eliminate mosquitoes that breed locally. However, results are even better when neighbors join in. Ask us about our referral program: earn credits for every neighbor you refer who signs up.