Aquacide Blog — Algae Control

A customer recently contacted us regarding algae, pond muck & weed control. Below is the question and our response. Question: I have an old pond that has been unattended for years. It is between 1 and 1.5 acres with reed grass/grass family and algae. I am removing some of the pond muck and mud and creating sharper walls. My question is that this pond has a small spring –fed stream flowing in and out. How does the flowing water affect the treatment for weeds and pond muck / mud? DB, Winston-Salem, NC Answer: Flowing water may help to reduce the nutrient...

Hot weather prompted the DNR to warn lake goers about the potential dangers of blue-green algae. While it is not uncommon to see algae blooms in the lake area in late summer, recent hot weather has prompted a warning.  Blue-green algae tends to show up in small, shallow, mucky ponds.  It looks exactly like its name; “blue-green” scum that resembles pea soup or spilled paint on the water surface.  It also has a strong, unpleasant, swampy odor.  It can erupt suddenly and be deadly. Ninety-nine percent of green algae are harmless; a nuisance and ugly, but harmless and not ALL...

While many people jump in the lake to keep cool, living life underwater isn’t always enough to protect fish from the heat. Many people throughout the US have noticed fish struggling at the water surface and washing up onto their shore.  This is due to the heat wave that has hovered over the Midwest over the past few weeks. Fish kills are actually common and do happen every summer, its part of the natural cycle.  Oxygen levels have reached an all time low.  Low oxygen levels combined with high water temperatures cause fish kills that sometimes have people convinced their...

What could squeaky clean dishes and shockingly green lakes have in common? Phosphorus!  Phosphorus has noteworthy connections to both dishwasher detergents and excessive algae growth.  In detergents, it binds with minerals, allowing for more effective washing.  Headlines in the 1960’s suggesting that Lake Erie was “dying” from choking on algae lead to studies that linked excess use of phosphorus by humans to greening lakes.  Many states banned phosphate laundry detergent.  Manufacturers voluntarily stopped adding phosphates to washer suds by the mid-1990’s.  But then, there’s dishwasher detergent.  Echoing the history of phosphate-free laundry detergent, states and communities are now starting to limit...

What is Swimmers Itch? Swimmers Itch (also known as Cercarial dermatitis, Lake Itch and Duck Itch) is an itchy rash that is caused by a certain type of parasite (shistosomes) that live in freshwater snails and waterfowl that gather among lake weeds. As part of their life-cycle, these parasites are released on warm sunny days and migrate through the water.  They then reattach to swimmers by burrowing into the skin.  Humans are not good hosts so the parasites soon die while still under the skin, which may cause an allergic reaction. Who gets Swimmers Itch? All age groups and both sexes can...