What are these? my pond is infested with them

[Heatheranne]

Oh goodness, I misunderstood. An outdoor pond is a different story. Mature will eventually move in.

For outdoor pond plants bought at a greenhouse, you just have to find out if they used pesticides or unsafe fertilizers. If so, give them a good rinse down.

So, you have frogs now? Or will be attracting local species?

[Bombina Bob]

looks like a dragonfly larvae. I have seen these guys around my area.

[taniaaust1]

Oh goodness, I misunderstood. An outdoor pond is a different story. Mature will eventually move in.

For outdoor pond plants bought at a greenhouse, you just have to find out if they used pesticides or unsafe fertilizers. If so, give them a good rinse down.

So, you have frogs now? Or will be attracting local species?

Yes. I have one marsh frog now and one marsh froglet and quite a few mash tapoles (two sorts) with backlegs from the tabpoles I'd brought at start of the year. I think? I saw thou possibly a big frog in my pond thou only got a brief glimpse out corner of my eye so wasnt quite sure what I'd seen swim under a plant so still dont know (if it was a mature frog and laid eggs underwater somewhere, I guess the mosquito fish would of ate them).

My first frog, I saw him eat an insect today (first time I'd seen him do that so it was exciting (pity he's not interested thou in eatting ants, around the outside of the pond is infested with them so Ive been worried if the ants could kill baby frogs), he's only just got rid of his tail. Maybe dragonfly larvae eat ants??? those are always falling into the pond.

[Tongue Flicker]

Looks like a 'normal' pond bug to me. As long as it doesn't parasitize other pond inhabitants just leave it be. Free food for your frog as well

[FrogRN]

This is a dragonfly. They will eat anything that is small enough to be overpowered. Some of the species her in Texas get large enough to at frogs.

[taniaaust1]

thank you everyone for the replies and answering my question.

[taniaaust1]

Ive been thinking about the 1 inch long dragonfly larvae all over the pond, not wanting to get rid of pond wildlife additions but at the same time wondering what these are going to keep eatting, thou I only have 2 tabpoles a third of their size so could be at risk of them (rest of my tabpoles are around same size of the dragonfly things so I dont think are probably at risk). Apparently the dragonfly larvae can eat each other, so maybe that is what they've been doing as they grow.

I started wondering today that maybe they are eatting all the ants which are always falling into the pond (Lots of ants, I have about 50 fall in every time I water the plants around it each day).

Well they have more food now as today my mosquito fish now have had babies!! (they give birth to live babies). So now I have tiny fish throu the pond too. Hopefully dragonflies pupea will eat all those while they are still developing and then both the baby mossie fish and the dragonfly gone leaving just 7? adult mosquito fish for me to get rid of.

The pond I find interesting.. I seem to be so often discovering something new in there eg a few days ago.. dung beatle things moved in and now are inhabiting the dry area in my pond. These beatles are interesting.. ants attacked one.. he ended up falling off the log and into the water and then seemed to decide after ants were biting him while he was floating.. to go under water, under a plant stem to knock the ants off his back. coincidence? or can beatles be smart? and actually go and plan how to fix their situations? (the bugs arent swimming water bugs but ones you'd expect to drown in the water, flouldering whenever they fall in.. but it really looked like it had thought out of options and chose to go under the water and plant stem to get rid of the ants on back after he fell in, he actually seemed to try to dive).

My baby frogs aint liking those ants either.. the ants bite them every now and then making frog move and sometimes jump into the water. Im really wondering how frogs would do if they get out of the pond properly where there is far more ants. Hopefully dragonfly larvae are eatting some ants. I thought I smelt something dead a few days ago.. wondering if it could of been a frog the ants got.

I have 3 unaccounted for tabpoles out of the 12 I brought, thou a couple of those 3 could of happily changed to frogs and left the pond as they were nearly frogs, my first to develop and then I didnt notice them again. The two frogs I have right now arent those first ones which I saw develop. Anyway... I do think I may of lost 1 tabpole in the past few months and I guess things arent going that badly with all the unexpected surprises Im getting.

(Im trying hard to get rid of the ant issue right now).