In Spring, at the start of the lockdown, I cleaned out the small pond at the end of the back garden. The pond, which was installed by the previous owner, is about 1 metre X 2 metres and is about 75 cm deep. I put a bunch of stones into the bottom (in case a passing child fell in) , planted some reeds (Great Reedmace) and kinda just left it. Over time, the rushes took over the entire pond, so this spring, during the lockdown, I cleaned out the pond. I left a few rushes, and added some duckweed but didn’t get to plant the lilies and other plants that I had intended. Even when there were plenty of reeds growing, I never got many dragonflies or damselflies breeding, though plenty of visitors. Since the pond has been effectively a large murky puddle this summer, it has been perfect for mosquitos. Right now, the water is teeming with them.
However, I did come across one dragonfly nymph hanging onto some duckweed (I used a bamboo stick to get a better loook at it). Dragonflies eat plenty of mosquitos, so this one won’t starve. Neither will the mosquitos, as long as I keep visiting the pond.
