I have a half acre pond in southern VT that has leeches. The water source is a dedicated well. So there is not a lot of water circulation or oxygenation which probably contributes to muck accumulation. Has anyone heard of a method of placing 3"x4" salt blocks around the perimeter of the pond to kill off the leeches? I heard this from pond contractor. I'm not sure if anyone has tried this or if it works. And what a affect it would have on the other aquatic life in the pond (salmanders, frogs, trout). For a pond my size, it was suggested placing 5 or 6 evenly spaced around the edge.
I've got other leech control options under consideration including Large mouth bass and papershell crayfish. I already have trout stock this past spring. I just need to consider the food chain thing and who will eat who.
The traps didn't work so well. I'd welcome any feedback or recommendations.
Thanks
Shawn
I would do all I could to stock some Pumpkinseed Sunfish in the pond. They focus their feeding habits on the critters on or near the pond bottom.
There's only one source that I know of that has them in your area, and that's
http://www.smithcreekfishfarm.com/productdetails2.cfm?ID=2
The salt won't hurt anything. Since leeches prefer stagnant water/ detritus have you considered aome diffusion to aerate the bottom? Or would that warm up the water too much for the trout in the summer?
I have a diffuser in the bottom center of my trout pond that I only run at night.
Edit:
I noted your other post where you said you were running in only 10 gpm in a 1/2 acre pond. Breaking up your thermocline may not be a good idea for the trout. I'm very surprised your trout are
"doing well" as you say with temps in the 70's.
Once the heat broke a couple of weeks ago, they've become very active. Which is a relief. I'm going to see how they do this summer. In the end, this may end being a bass pond, but I wanted to give the trout a shot first.
I am considering aeration, but not yet. As you mentioned, I'm not sure what it will do to the water temp.
I've found two companies in VT that will suit up with scuba gear and literally 'vacuum' the bottom to remove the muck layer and selectively removing weeds. This might be an option to get a clean start with the pond so it's a matter of maintenance going forward. It's also a much less expensive option than draining and excavating. It should put quite a strain on the leech habitat.
I'd be interested to know if this option has been considered by any of the pond owners out there.
Shawn
I think the vaccum is a good option. I'd sure like to know what they charge (per cu yard of muck removed, per hour of work or ?)
I got one estimate of $1500: two guys for 2-3 days and they haul it all away. That includes travel expense since they'd be coming too far to commute daily.
To answer the leech size question.. this year I've seen only smaller ones 2" or so. But last year there were some big one swimming around. Nobody liked those too much. I suspect they're still in there somewhere.
That figure of $1500.00 for two guys at 2-3 days plus hauling sounds incredibly light.
Hi,
We are also in Vermont and having a leech problem.
Can you share the names of the companies you have found either on this thread or through a private message to me?
Also, what are the tradeoffs of the different types of fish for leech control? I've seen suggestions of bass, sunfish, and crayfish. Our pond is primarily for swimming so a fish that is easy to maintain and wouldn't interfere much with swimming would be great.
Thanks.
If the pond is old and lots of muck, why not consider a pond draining and dry out during a warm season when trout tend to struggle in many ponds? It will get rid of the leeches (add hydrated lime), reduce muck (drying,decomposing &/or dipping) and benefit the benthic invertebrate community by oxygenating the sediments over the summer, maybe even reduce weed community. Numerous benefits for periodically draining and drying a production pond.