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Strange things a swimmin'!

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  • 02-06-2008 7:57pm
    #1
    hannah-banana
    Closed Accounts Posts: 22 ✭


    Hello

    We have a pond out the back garden and i noticed a few tadpole look a likes, but smaller swimming around. They're black with a bit of a big head, and seem to have multiplied. I don't think they're damaging the water plants or anything but they're very ugly! and have taken over the whole surface of the pond.. I have looked all around the net trying to find them and a way to get rid of them.. heres pictures, aint the best cuz they're from a phone.

    Cheers


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    #2
    Roen
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,620 ✭✭✭Roen


    I've seen them plenty alright in barrels of rain water, but I have to admit I really am clueless what they are too.


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    #3
    Nerin
    Registered Users Posts: 10,523 ✭✭✭✭Nerin


    Larvae i think.

    heres a mosquito larvae pic
    mosquito_larva.jpg


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    #4
    Kaldorn
    Closed Accounts Posts: 299 ✭✭Kaldorn


    Nerin wrote: »
    Larvae i think.

    heres a mosquito larvae pic
    mosquito_larva.jpg

    they are defo larvae,probably some sort of fly,your fish will eat them or of you have frogs they like them also.


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    #5
    hannah-banana
    Closed Accounts Posts: 22 ✭hannah-banana


    thanks very much lads, i'll have t buy me some fishies to eat em. cheers :D


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    #6
    ciano6
    Closed Accounts Posts: 108 ✭✭ciano6


    I live in the Tropics and indeed they do look like what we call wrigglers. They are the larva of a mosquito. The wriggler moves about by jerking its body through the water. A thin, skinlike shell covers its body. The wriggler has a broad head, with two short, bushy antennae. It has two eyes behind the antennae, near the back of the head. Its mouth is on the underside of the head, near the front. Long hairs called mouth brushes grow around the jaws and sweep food into the wriggler's mouth. It eats tiny aquatic life, including one-celled organisms called protozoans, and other wrigglers.

    A wriggler breathes through a tube-like siphon (air tube) at the rear of its body. To get air, it pushes its siphon above the surface of the water.

    The larvae grow quickly. They moult (shed their skins and grow new ones) four times in 4 to 10 days. After the last moult, the larvae change into pupae.

    In our garden and workplace, we are careful not to let any of these fellas enough time to develop in stagnant water as the mosquitoes can carry diseases like Dengue. In Ireland, that is not so much of an issue so you can get the fish if you like but if not,bats and other nocturnal animals will be delighted with you.

    Check out this interesting link
    http://www.uel.ac.uk/mosquito/issue1/anopheles.htm


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