Leaches
 

I've sorted out the overstocking of the pond to give Jaws more room, but in the process I've found that the pond is overrun with leaches.

I've not introduced any new fish or plants for years. Those fish that were in the pond have bred themselves.

Can leaches come in on frogs etc?

How do I get rid of them short of draining the pond and filling it in? I cna't even lift Jaws out, let alone keep him somewhere else whilst I clean the pond out.

It's begining to look like "goodbye pond". I'm getting too long inthe tooth to be scrambling about on my hand and knees. The athritis tends to restrict what I can do these days.

Is there any chemical cure?

There are two types of leeches.

Some eat detritus, rotting organic matter in the
pond, and some latch on and are blood eaters.

Snag one out and put it in a jar of pond water
with some liver. If it turns up its nose at the
liver, then you've got a detritus eating leech
and I wouldn't worry about it.

If it likes the liver then you can bait a minnow
trap or clamshell strawberry baskets with liver,
toss in the pond, pull out
and you can remove the leeches that way.

Also flatworms look a lot like leeches. If you
get one out look at its head, if it is slightly
spade shaped and you can see eye spots
then it is a flatworm and nothing to worry
about.

And finally if they, the critters are only latched
on in moving water they could be blackfly
larva which look a lot like tiny leeches to
some folks. Brush those off for fish food.

kathy :-)
www.blogfromthebog.com
this week ~ Mosquitoes!
Run For Your Life!

Pond 101 page for new pond keepers ~
http://hometown.aol.com/ka30p/myhomepage/garden.html

Supposedly leeches are sensitive to salt... unless of course they're salt
water leeches. So start with that. 1 lb./100 gallons to start. If that
doesn't do it, remove plants and over a few days get it up to a total of 3
lb/100 gallons. ~ jan


See my ponds and filter design:
www.jjspond.us

~Keep 'em Wet!~
Tri-Cities WA Zone 7a
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