So how to lure them? “Build a pond,” is Bowman’s short answer. Bowman says both the nymphs and adult dragonflies are important components of food webs that help form the natural balance of an ecosystem. In turn, dragonflies are themselves food sources for fish, frogs, other aquatic insects, birds, lizards, spiders and more. Some adult dragonflies are said to consume hundreds of mosquitoes a day. Not only do dragonfly larvae, or nymphs, feed on mosquito larvae, adult dragonflies eat adult mosquitoes. Where cabbage white butterflies lay their eggs on the underside of the leaves of brassicas, with the resulting caterpillars damaging crops (best to keep the butterflies out with protective netting), dragonflies lay eggs on aquatic plants or still water.Īnd then there’s the benefit of the dragonfly’s insatiable appetite for the mosquito, another insect currently out in abundance. While they won’t pollinate plants in the manner of bees, they will never harm your vegetable patch like the cabbage white butterfly, the population of which is also swelling with the recent rain. Avoid electric bug zappers, which are just as likely to kill beneficial insects such as dragonflies along with the nuisance bugs.īy making your yard attractive to dragonflies and other mosquito devouring critters, you’ll not only have fewer irritating bugs flying about but also get to enjoy a more beautiful outdoor retreat.There’s lots to like.Add fish to your pond – Fathead minnows are a native fish that can help keep bugs in check by eating mosquito larvae.Mosquito-proof your rain barrel – Be sure mosquitoes cannot access your rain barrel or it will become a breeding ground for them.Install a bat house – Just like dragonflies, bats like to munch on mosquitoes.Clean your gutters – Clogged gutters can hold puddles of water where mosquito eggs hatch.Clean out the bird bath every few days – A good blast with your lead-free hose should do the trick to dislodge mosquito larvae.Remove standing water found in pet water bowls, old tires, children’s toys, open garbage cans, and plant saucers.You can add plants that attract adult dragonflies such as Black-Eyed Susan, Swamp Milkweed, and Joe-Pye weed among others.Ĭheck out the beautiful educational dragonfly garden our summer interns Jack, Nora, and Caden built for the DuPage County Fairgrounds.īesides encouraging dragonfly visitors, here are a few more simple tips to reduce mosquitoes buzzing around your yard: Adult dragonflies will travel several miles from a body of water. Add a water feature if you don’t already have one such as a pond or rain garden. You can encourage dragonflies to come to your yard in a few ways. Not only that, they can be quite beautiful and a joy to observe around the yard. An individual dragonfly can eat hundreds of mosquitoes each day. In fact, they eat them at all stages of life. Plant a Dragonfly Gardenĭragonflies are natural predators for mosquitoes. Besides using insect repellent to keep mosquitoes away from you, you can take steps to keep them away from your yard by making it less hospitable to mosquitoes. Avoid yard spraying which is potentially harmful, by using more natural bug control methods. into ponds to help control mosquitoes because they feed on mosquito larvae. That means more time enjoying the outdoors at BBQs, the beach or pool, exercising or simply lounging outside. Dragonflies and damselflies are closely related members of the insect order.
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