Post #3657316
2026-07-07 19:42 UTC
Replies (6)
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@lionelb@expressional.social 2026-07-07 20:35
@triploidtree@mastodon.ie Hoverfly larvae like filthy suppurating gloop. Whether that would deter mosquitos I am not sure. Rather than just water, dragonflies are probably tempted by the scent of native plants which suggest the right type of water. So plant native water plants, as varied as you can manage.
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@benjamingeer@piaille.fr 2026-07-07 20:26
@triploidtree@mastodon.ie I haven't tried this but it might be worth looking into https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacillus_thuringiensis_israelensis
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@Colman@mastodon.ie 2026-07-07 20:29
@triploidtree@mastodon.ie live beside the canal. Though I swear I saw a large dragonfly in Temple Bar a few weeks ago.
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@meraord@mastodonsweden.se 2026-07-07 20:36
@triploidtree@mastodon.ie dragonflies need tall grasses, or reeds, to land and lay their eggs from.
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@laurenheywood@social.ds106.us 2026-07-07 20:52
@triploidtree@mastodon.ie Haven't tried it myself yet but in late winter / early spring people on here from Britain and Ireland were talking about "hoverfly lagoons". They are small containers, biscuit tin sized, that people put leaf litter and sticks as well as rainwater in to make a kind of nesting spot for hoverflies. The leaves and sticks covering the water surface make it ideal for hoverflies but less so for other things, and stops birds eating the larvae. I saved this link: https://hoverflylagoons.co.uk/hoverfly-lagoons-2020/
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@eraserbones@flipping.rocks 2026-07-07 23:22
@triploidtree@mastodon.ie Multiple local folks I know (Minnesota and nearby) have kept medaka outdoors only to have them devoured by dragonfly larvae late in the summer. Medaka definitely eat mosquito larvae but apparently do not get the dragonflies before the dragonflies get them. So... if mosquito dunks don't work maybe wee fish will strike the right balance.