tadpoles

[dorindarasbe]

hi all, are there any tadpoles still left in some ponds or is it too late to find any now? also i have just found a huge beetle like thing in my wildlife pond does anyone know what it is and if i should keep it in there? many thanks.

[hammerman]

The beetle could be either a very big water boatman or a great diving beetle.

Both are carnivorous and will eat tadpoles, crustaceans and other pond life....including small fish.

If your pond is a wildlife pond, leave the beetle be as it will have its place in the food chain and will stop other species from over populating.

Most tadpoles should have now hopped off as ickle *****. Get your pond nicely established ready for the frog and toad invasion next spring.

If you don't have any fish in the pond, maybe you'd like to considder some sticklebacks. These are small, indiginous fish which have a fascinating breeding ritual. They will also help with the general bio-diversity of the pond.

Good luck

[hammerman]

The above censored word should've been frogs but i replaced the R with a W.....??????? :o\

[Thunderbird+]

Hi dorindarasbe,
Actually my tadpoles have been slow to develope this year, for some reason and did'nt have any legs last time I looked.

The huge beetle is possibly a 'great diving beetle' and quite at home in a wildlife pond although they are predatory but thats nature! Why not google it for an image to try and match it ? Good Luck Tbird+

[naz_nomad]

All my taddies are well frogged-up already

[allotment10]

mine are allready hopping all over the allotment, great fun trying to sidestep them!

[tictactoe]

Taddies take 4 months to metamorph into froggies....

TBird+ ours (when we had a wildlife pond) always seemed later than everybody elses!! Used to give them tiny bits of raw meat and bread....they always said 'thankyou' and return the following year to sprog!

[Thunderbird+]

tictactoe, Good tip thanks, I'll try it when the dogs not looking. Cheers

[WendyS]

Alas my small pond is still full of tadpoles which haven't developed any legs yet. I suspect it's a combination of late frogspawn because of the cold spring, and too many tadpoles competing for too little food, despite my supplementing it with boiled lettuce and fish flakes. A few have migrated and I'm now frantically regularly watering the undergrowth in my garden to stop them being cooked alive in the heat. Lawn is withered brown so at least these few don't have the additional hazard of being mown down with the lawn mower.