I would like to raise dragon flies to cut back on the mosquitoes in our yard... How do I get some started?

Answer 1

Just go to a pet store where they have them and bring them home, but ask them first how to take care of them etc...

Answer 2

Dragonflies lay their eggs in water just like mosquitoes. The nymphs hatch the following year. Build yourself a dragonfly habitat. It is great fun, I've done it with a small pond, and they have really stopped the mosquito problem for me. Besides being lovely to watch. I must have had 50 of them last summer. I didn't buy any, they just came. I left the pond "natural", planted along the edges, I cleaned out debris, but didn't scrub it, and they decided that worked for them and took up residence. The water should be still, and perhaps some overhanging ground cover or aquatic plants (nymphs look awful, and have to be able to crawl out from what I read, so some sort of vegetation helps). A half wine barrel would probably work. Apparently the adults migrate. I read online you cannot buy the nymphs. I will say it was 2 years before they showed up here of their own volition, but it was well worth the wait. Good luck!

Answer 3

The only thing that you can do is to cut way back on pesticides.

A female dragonfly deposits her eggs in a water area like the backwash of a river. The nymphs take 3 to 5 years to mature, it this time they eat very small fish and polywogs and each other

Pesticides into the run off water kills the nymphs

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragonfly

Answer 4

I have never heard of anyone raising dragonflies, but you can build or buy a bat box. Bats eat mosuitoes. You can put the bat boxes in various trees around your property and see what happens. Good luck with either.

Answer 5

that sounds good you can catch larva in creeks,they hang on rocks and logs,
The larva look odd,almost scorpion like but no stinger,you might try setting up a pool like fence in your garden and put frogs in it,,
order some prayingmantis they are killer