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Are leeches good for garden ponds?: |
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Baby Sue Senior Member Joined: 19 Feb 2008 No. of posts: 412 ![]() View other posts by Baby Sue |
Posted: 14 Dec 2010 When it comes to de-weeding time and clearing leaves out of my pond IÆve always tried to kill as little lifeforms as I possibly can cos I donÆt like being mean and it ainÆt pondlifeÆs fault theyÆre stuck to weeds and slime and old leaves, it just doesnÆt seem right to just grab the contents of my pond and chuck it over the wall letting little lives die cos theyÆre out of the water. I wanted presents from lots of you. Snot fair that Ben Rigsby was the only one to send me Xmas & birthday presents. ![]() |
ben rigsby Senior Member Joined: 27 Apr 2010 No. of posts: 337 ![]() View other posts by ben rigsby |
Posted: 18 Dec 2010 hi sue, firstly, all ponds (garden or otherwise) require some maintenance or they eventually clog up with weeds. so youre right to remove some aquatic vegetation from time to time. this is best done in autumn. remove tree leaves whenever you see them though. its great that you go to such trouble to search through the weeds and help all the invertebrates back in the water. ![]() another approach is to simply place the vegetation on the ground right beside the pond for an hour or two and let all the little critters find their own way back into the pool. pond maintenance guides often recommend doing this. as for the leeches, well common frogs dont feed underwater. i was surprised to read this fact which i only learned a few years ago ![]() leeches are too big and cumbersome for tadpoles to handle. do you have newts in your pond too? ive always thought leeches would be on the menu for THEM but despite often watching them "waving" openly in the water during Spring while adult newts are nearby, ive yet to see a newt ever attempt to take one. they seem to ignore them. quite unlike the reaction you get by throwing in a similar wriggly critter like small earthworm into the water. newts pounce on those immediately. so i wonder if these small leeches have some sort of defence like toxicity so the newts leave them alone? other members would know better than i. caleb? in short, i think youre doing the right thing overall; save a few where you spot them but dont worry unduly about the rest. hope this helps, ben Diversity. |
Caleb Forum Coordinator Joined: 17 Feb 2003 No. of posts: 448 ![]() View other posts by Caleb |
Posted: 20 Dec 2010 [QUOTE=ben rigsby]i wonder if these small leeches have some sort of defence like toxicity so the newts leave them alone?[/QUOTE] No idea on this one. Presumably they're able to bite back if they're attacked- maybe newts learn to avoid them? I did wonder if Baby Sue's tiny black leeches might actually be planarians. |
Baby Sue Senior Member Joined: 19 Feb 2008 No. of posts: 412 ![]() View other posts by Baby Sue |
Posted: 20 Dec 2010 Hmmn, maybe. and are about 3 or 4mm long but can elongate when moving around and become right long to about 12mm. I can start dumping lumps of weed by the side of my pond on a small tree stump I have, hopefully if I stack it high itÆll fit. ItÆd be nice to think they could make their way to safety. I wanted presents from lots of you. Snot fair that Ben Rigsby was the only one to send me Xmas & birthday presents. ![]() |
Caleb Forum Coordinator Joined: 17 Feb 2003 No. of posts: 448 ![]() View other posts by Caleb |
Posted: 21 Dec 2010 That's exactly what planarians look like (but without wheels). As far as I know, they eat rotting matter in the pond, and don't do any harm to amphibians. Your pond snails may not have been dead- they will sometimes seal themselves into their shells and revive when they get wet again. |
Baby Sue Senior Member Joined: 19 Feb 2008 No. of posts: 412 ![]() View other posts by Baby Sue |
Posted: 21 Dec 2010 Well the pond snails seemed to stay there for ages,
I have to remember the word planariun now. ItÆs long and fancy, bet I forget it in a few minutes.
Thanks for responding, in future IÆm gonna pile up everything I take out of my pond an leave it there for days or weeks ætil IÆm thoroughly sure everything has escaped.
Though at the golf course pond they pull out weeds and IÆve seen dead tadpoles in amongst that. I wanted presents from lots of you. Snot fair that Ben Rigsby was the only one to send me Xmas & birthday presents. ![]() |
ben rigsby Senior Member Joined: 27 Apr 2010 No. of posts: 337 ![]() View other posts by ben rigsby |
Posted: 25 Dec 2010 definitely not leeches youve spotted then sue. calebs right - planarians. they MIGHT have wheels underneath - personally ive never turned one over to look. ![]() leeches, at least the ones ive got (by that i mean in the pond not on me) are around 1-2" long, light brown in colour and move with a very distinctive and wonderful undulating motion when swimming through open water. they can stretch out to more than twice their "resting" size. in spring i often watch them. at this time (breeding season?) they attach themselves to the pond floor and wave about frantically but intermittently, perhaps to attract a mate? i dont know. your pond will probably have them so keep an eye out - theyre very entertaining to watch. ![]() garden pond leeches are harmless to man. only one UK species will suck your blood. that is the medicinal leech (hirudo medicinalis - i think). it is far bigger and very rare nowadays. you wont have those in your pond so dont be alarmed! i know you dont like the idea of losing any invertebrates at all but youll never save them all. not with all the will in the world. many of them are too delicate to survive being grasped/handled too. its much more important overall that your pond doesnt get choked with vegetation for the benefit of your main heroes (amphibians) eh? newts especially, like a mixture of vegetated pond and open areas for their breeding rituals. sacrifice the battle to win the war girl! ![]() however, another method you could try is to take small clumps 1 at a time then shake the weed you remove vigorously in (pref) a WHITE bucket full of pond water. do this in good light. tiny creatures show up best against a white background. then tip the water back in the pond after. thanks for showing the pic of your frogs. ![]() ben Diversity. |
ben rigsby Senior Member Joined: 27 Apr 2010 No. of posts: 337 ![]() View other posts by ben rigsby |
Posted: 27 Dec 2010 dont worry about your pond snails suffocating in the air when you remove them along with weed. many of the common species that inhabit the water column breathe air same as us. these are called PULMONATE snails. they have a simple lung and come to the surface regularly to get a gulp. you can see a hole open and shut when they do it. here are two common species of these; ![]() do they look familiar? LEFT; Great Pond Snail RIGHT; Ramshorn Snail shown with a sprig of Hornwort one group of pond snails DOES have gills however. the OPERCULATE snails. so-called because they have a LID which closes over the opening when the snail retracts into its shell. pulmonates dont have this. theres less chance of you fishing these out accidentally though because they usually live on the pond floor or partially buried in the mud. ben Diversity. |
Baby Sue Senior Member Joined: 19 Feb 2008 No. of posts: 412 ![]() View other posts by Baby Sue |
Posted: 10 Jan 2011 Do all ponds have leeches cos IÆm pretty sure there ainÆt nothinÆ bigger than planarians in my pond?
IÆve tried sticking pulled out weeds into a washing up bowl and shaking a bit and stuff does come out and then I can pour the water back in but it is true, you canÆt get them all. Too much plantlife?
ThereÆs lots of hornwort under the water which I thin out but I can get rid of more of that if you think I should.
IÆve got a few Great Pond Snails but thereÆs tonnes more Ramshorn Snails. (YouÆre teaching me words I wanted presents from lots of you. Snot fair that Ben Rigsby was the only one to send me Xmas & birthday presents. ![]() |
Baby Sue Senior Member Joined: 19 Feb 2008 No. of posts: 412 ![]() View other posts by Baby Sue |
Posted: 11 Jan 2011 This is what the frogs were sh*gging in last spring. The plantlife is a little more thinned out now but is it not good for frogs having it that overgrown? I wanted presents from lots of you. Snot fair that Ben Rigsby was the only one to send me Xmas & birthday presents. ![]() |
ben rigsby Senior Member Joined: 27 Apr 2010 No. of posts: 337 ![]() View other posts by ben rigsby |
Posted: 16 Jan 2011 hi sue. i dont know that ALL garden ponds have leeches. only that they are very common and i that i often see them. they would be harder to spot in your pond perhaps. it IS quite well-vegetated. but not excessively id say. ![]() i should point out im far from an expert compared to many members. i just know a lot more than the average joe in the street thats all! ![]() but it sounds like your doing a good job maintenence-wise. if the frogs didnt like it they wouldnt be there. how many years have you had them? common frogs arent very fussy where they breed and will "shag" (as you put it! ![]() last year on my post round i even saw 2 frogs/spawn in a washing up bowl sunk into the ground in an urban backyard. they panicked like crazy at my approach but had nowhere to much to hide apart from under a few leaves. that was funny! the latin name Rana TEMPORARIA reflects their here-today-gone-tomorrow breeding routine. unlike other frog species that are far more aquatic and spend more time in water. i cant see any cause for you to be concerned from what youve shown. maybe you could thin it out a little more perhaps but thats just my opinion. its hard to know how much submerged vegetation there is from your pix. im guessing that most of your plants are potted. its good that youve got Hornwort too. with ref to your Duckweed/ice query in the Help for duckweed sufferers post, few animals can survive been frozen solid. some can tho as i read on another thread about tree frogs here recently. if they havent avoided the surface freeze then theyre probably dead anyway. though im only speculating here. maybe its more common than i know. as i said, no expert. hope this helps, ben Diversity. |
Baby Sue Senior Member Joined: 19 Feb 2008 No. of posts: 412 ![]() View other posts by Baby Sue |
Posted: 17 Jan 2011 IÆve lived in my house coming up to 3 years now and the woman before me put in the pond and she was there 3 years. IÆm only metres from the lake so the frogs have just hopped over from there I presume, I doubt she kidnapped any.
IÆve seen a washing-up bowl inset into the ground too. I thought about doing the same in my back garden then decided against it cos I havenÆt the room really.
IÆve got 3 potted plants (that the last owner left) and they sit on tree stumps submerged under the water.
Is lots of hornwort good? Cos I was thinking of de-clogging my pond a bit by not thinning it out but by creating more of an open space at one side. I.e. pushing the existing vegetation to one side/chopping a bit out and having it half clogged. Good idea?
You seen my dead frog pic from yesterday?
I took this pic yesterday. The dead frog is at the side on the left about a foot from the frog fly swatter. Hard to see cos my camera is cr*p.
PS. IÆm traumatised. I wanted presents from lots of you. Snot fair that Ben Rigsby was the only one to send me Xmas & birthday presents. ![]() |
Baby Sue Senior Member Joined: 19 Feb 2008 No. of posts: 412 ![]() View other posts by Baby Sue |
Posted: 17 Jan 2011 Oh and in summer frogs usually hide out around the sides of the bottom right plantpot/tree stump, I sometimes disturb them when IÆm de-weeding. ItÆs not as deep at that end though so I was thinking in winter they go to the far side/middle where all the plantage is. At the very bottom of my pic the water is about 15cm deep and you can see the plastic bottom, canÆt at the other side. I wanted presents from lots of you. Snot fair that Ben Rigsby was the only one to send me Xmas & birthday presents. ![]() |
Baby Sue Senior Member Joined: 19 Feb 2008 No. of posts: 412 ![]() View other posts by Baby Sue |
Posted: 17 Jan 2011![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() I wanted presents from lots of you. Snot fair that Ben Rigsby was the only one to send me Xmas & birthday presents. ![]() |
Scale Senior Member Joined: 05 Dec 2010 No. of posts: 83 ![]() View other posts by Scale |
Posted: 01 Feb 2011 I read somewhere that small black Leeches form the main diet of aquatic phase Great Crested Newts. I can't remember where i saw it, who published it or how old the study was though. I would think flat worms would be easy pickings for all amphibians. |
Baby Sue Senior Member Joined: 19 Feb 2008 No. of posts: 412 ![]() View other posts by Baby Sue |
Posted: 07 Feb 2011 I gave my pond a shake up on Saturday and tried shifting the plantage over to one side more, worked for a day but now theyÆve shifted back again, all IÆve done is disturbed a live frog and broken a couple of plants in the process. I wanted presents from lots of you. Snot fair that Ben Rigsby was the only one to send me Xmas & birthday presents. ![]() |
- Are leeches good for garden ponds? |