Pond Boss Forums POND CONSTRUCTION Creating habitat Water bugs

I just built a 1/2 acre pond in southern MN. It is about 6' at its deepest point. Average is about 4' right now. I have notice some swimming bugs that dive down very quickly and seem to float back to the surface. They are average .25" long with paddeling legs from the sides. Lots of them. I don't have any fish stocked yet. I'm looking to add some Hyb sunfish this week. They should be 3-5" long when I get them. Will these little bugs be a good enough food source or do I need to supplement food until the pond habbitat takes off?

Betsy bugs or whirlygig beetles are vicious little predators, and are not usually found in large enough numbers to be valuable as food. They will actually attack and consume small minnows and shiners. Their 3/4" long cousins will take out any fry close to an inch long.

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The good news is there is food available for the whirligig beetles. Small fish can probably feed on the same food as the beetles as well as the beetles themselves.

I don't think this is the same insect. I know of the surface swimming bettles. This is a diveing insect. I don't know alot about bugs but I'm fairly sure it isn't a fish eater.

MN - I think you have either water boatmen or backswimmers (True Bugs - Insect Order Hemiptera). Do a search for those common names in the past posts. They have been pictured and discussed here previously.

This is a very late responce to Bill. I did end up looking up the two insects you mentioned. I think they are back swimmers. They also mentioned this insect has been known to bite. I just want to know if this is a good sign for my pond. I'm going to start fat heads in the spring. Then Blue gills. THANKS

MN, I also have a MN pond. I noticed last year that I either had a hatch of back swimmers or they were mating and laying eggs. Don't remember when but at one time in early summer there were thousands of these bugs taking off from the water, flying around, and then landing back in the water. I'm familiar with water boatman and these were not the same. They were all black and smaller but they did have the paddles. I did notice that my bluegill were having a hayday scooping them up. Looked like they made fine fish food so I was glad to see them.

Here's some web sites.
http://bugguide.net/node/view/4965
http://bugguide.net/node/view/4964

Both forms are fish food for fish big enough to eat them. For really small fish (fry) the fish can become the food.

I had the same thing, and about 10 quadrillion of them summer before last, when I began stocking. This past summer, the gills simply anihilated the things. Any of them stupid enough to venture away from the immediate shoreline became just a moving version of a fish food pellet.

On a somewhat related subject, we built a scoop for the front of the ATV out of a piece of square metal ductwork and we'd drive around the area with it hanging at the same height as the top of the brome grass. You could dump hundreds of spiders, caterpillars and grasshoppers from the bridge and watch the frenzy.

Not PETA approved, but the fish loved them.

Hey Matt, you ever read any of Patrick F. McManus books?
http://www.mcmanusbooks.com/books/grasshopper_trap/grasshopper.html

I highly recommend him! You'll laugh your head off!

I had an indescribable encounter with big black and red hoppers last May. I stopped under the Trinity River bridge east of Houston just to gaze at the river. I saw several big hoppers on grass reeds. I figured they would hop when I got near, but were very lethargic. I kept walking and saw hundreds of various sizes. I found a bag and caught a couple hundred. They never hardly moved. Took them home, put them in a rolled up hardware cloth roll, gave them grass and sprinkled water. Kept them for about a week. Caught many fish in the next week.
Only thing I could figure is that I caught them doing their equivalent of smoking after a romp in the grass.(mating season).

It appears that Matt has devised a way to catch bugs for feeding. I have a lot of grasshoppers next to my pond in summer and I've been thinking it would be great if I could think of a way to entice or trick them into hopping into the water themselves. If there were some kind of lure or bait that would attract them. Anyone got any ideas? I noticed that when I walk the edge of the pond I can't even scare them inot the water since they are almost always smart enough not to jump into the water or they jump out over the water just far enough that they can still fly back to dry land before landing. I wish I could find a way to trick them. Something that would work all day when I'm not there and provide a constant supply of fish food.

There are these things that I'm thinking about trying out this summer.

http://www.freshflo.com/buglite.htm

http://www.suttlefish.com/buglight2.htm

http://www.bo-jofishlight.com/

I think the homemade ones would suit me when I'm drinking the untaxed wiskey.

"Hey Matt, you ever read any of Patrick F. McManus books?
http://www.mcmanusbooks.com/books/grasshopper_trap/grasshopper.html

I highly recommend him! You'll laugh your head off!"


Ric,

I love all those stories. Rancid always reminded me of an older guy I knew. The grasshopper trap is one of my favorites.

6 feet deep? That sounds a little shallow for a pond that far north. I would think that a winter fish kill is almost sure to happen.

Ric & TN:

Very familiar with Patrick McManus. Senior year in HS, had to do a "reading" for English Lit, and, as usual, left the decision til the last minute (almost literally the last second). Sitting in library reading Outdoor Life or something laughing my arse off reading about Rancid Crabtree and one of his adventures. Figured, what the heck....decided to use it for my "classic" reading.

Ol Mrs. Martin, snorting coffee out of her nose all over her desk! She reminded me afterwards that this was supposed to be one of the "classics", but still gave me an "A".

BTW...that bug catcher was so simple and cheap, it ain't funny. I used a 5 foot long piece of galvanized square duct (half the section, as 2 pieces snap together to form the duct). Riveted the ends closed and hung it from the wheeler with a couple pieces of wire.

You adjust it so that it hangs about 10 inches above ground and just drive through the taller grass. Works best when it's just a bit cool, otherwise the hoppers and such just hop back out when you stop. I carry the whole thing onto the bridge and shake them out onto the water.

Caught more big ole hairy garden spiders than anything else. BG don't care...if it moves it's food. Lots of commotion when you dump them things....

Matt- Do you have a picture or drawing of this bug catcher? I am having a hard time understanding how it works. The idea of buckets of bugs with BG attacking has caught my imagination. What little I have left.

Prentissbo, I have several lights just like the links you posted. They do work well but only at night. Since grasshoppers don't fly around at night these really don't help you take advantage of the hoppers around the pond. BTW I built mine myself for about $40 each.
Matt, I'd also be interested in pictures of your ductwork but catcher.
What I'm really looking for is something like the bug light that attacts all bugs, including hoppers, during the day.
I've posted here before about a maggot feeding device that I also use to feed my fish. You let the flies convert road kill to maggots that automatically feed your fish all day long but not at night. Works good if you have a place where the smell doesn't bother anyone.

bz- Don't maggots fly away from their feed bag?

Matt,

I'd like to see a picture, too. Or you could email it to me and I'd post it if you like. Sounds perfect for one of my ponds. I've no shortage of grasshoppers.

Nothing I would rather do than strap Theo and Dudley to the front of my pickup, give them some long handled nets and cruise the back roads. Ric, you can ride in the cab with me as Navigator.

Matt,
Good job on your "A"! Rancid was one of my favorite characters too. McManus knows how to tell a story!

Dave, sounds like a plan! You & I will have the cooler though right!

Gee, DD, I thought that "Run, Theo, Run" sticker on your front bumper meant that you'd decided I was ready for elective office!

Theo, I would call this more of a drafted appointment than an election.

BTW, if you make it to Texas for next deer season, you might just be able to lend a hand with the annual snipe census.