Habitat - Outdoor :: Can water bugs harm my RES?

[melissa4324]

See, now ya'all feel my pain. No idea how to get rid of these guys. We thought about taking out the marine life and then maybe a small bomb. They are really nasty looking and I really don't like bugs.

[marisa]

They're positively creepy ...Can you contact your state Dept. of Environmental protection, or do you have a County Agricultural Association you could ask about what to do?

[GouzlanTheAmerican]

wait you really have those HUGE bugs in your pond.
Call the national guard. If i saw one of those, i would know the end of the world was near.

**note to self** be prepared for anything!

[lydia_lady_fla]

oh my those critters are for sure monsters I have learned alot here but never expected I'd have to worry about a water bug in a pond that would be harmful to fish and possibly turtles let alone toes wow for everything alive there is a natural enemy something has to feed on them,maybe that something wont like fish and turtles?ok lets brain storm here .... they are water bugs can you put your turtles and fish some where, totally drain the water. no water no food perhaps they will die very fast under a blazing sun for a week or so and everything will be safe once again? I would take one into the ag. or enviroment controll as was suggested in your area they might can give you a quick easy way to totally destroy them. man I hope so plz keep us all informed of the out come,I'm sorry you are the victim but perhaps what you learn can help us all. thanks....p.s. I'm located in fl. too near the panama city beach area ,I may just nix my out door pond plans totally. cant wait for oldturtle to respond here lol

[STRAYKINGFISHER]

I found one way to get rid of them:

Adults of Lethocerus are considered a delicacy in Asia, and are eaten both fresh and cooked.

Read the whole article, it is very interesting, they also eat small birds (yikes!!)

http://creatures.ifas.ufl.edu/misc/bugs ... r_bugs.htm

[lydia_lady_fla]

I knew something had to eat them, didnt know it was people I have seen these bugs just never knew they were that ummmmm dangerous. how to get em gone, empty the pond and take your pets into safety??????????

[BigCT]

how about this?

It looks like it would eat about anything

No, that's not me. I like animals, but I like my fingers being attached to my hands more.

[STRAYKINGFISHER]

I knew something had to eat them, didnt know it was people I have seen these bugs just never knew they were that ummmmm dangerous. how to get em gone, empty the pond and take your pets into safety??????????

I read in the last article I posted that they can fly from pond to pond, so you would have to be emptying your pond alot. Depending on the size of your pond, you might be able to enclose it, kinda like they do some pools.
*************************************************************

how about this?

That is one big snapper, I see what you mean about liking your fingers, I am quite attached to mine as well.

[GouzlanTheAmerican]

we hade a 200 year old aligator snaper in one of the man made lakes around here. there were stories of a lockness monster, and it ended up being a Huge aligator snapper turtle. BTW aligator snappers are illeagle by us.

Any way lock all of your doors and windows. take the turtles out of the pond. put chiken wire over it so the bugs cant get out. drain it. and pump it full of poison ! Kill those M F'ers you should warn your neighbors so they can do the same to there ponds.until you have driven the species of bug to extintion.

Unless those bugs can chew threw meatle. **GULP**

[melissa4324]

Thank you, ya'all have really made me laugh. And for the record they are not as big as the one that was posted. The largest ones are about an inch and a half. But they are still really creepy. I talked to the dept of ag and they have no way to kill them. They kept telling me that while they are not pleasing to look at they do serve a purpose. They control the fish popilation. The guy just was not understanding that I don't want the fish pop controlled. And if I do, I will do it! I have moved the turtles out for now. They are in a kiddy pool for now until we can figure what in the hell to do about the mutant bugs. And having them for dinner is so not an option.

[marisa]

Just curious, but are these things cyclical (like locusts, for example)? Or do you get them every year?

[GouzlanTheAmerican]

well i am running out of ideas here. The only way to kill them is to go out and buy an air powered pellet rifle. Trap them in the pond and shoot the §h*t out of them. that should do it!

[STRAYKINGFISHER]

That would be some good target practice

[da sAUCE!]

call arnold to terminate them.

[melissa4324]

We actually just built our ponds this season. So we are not real sure. For now, I have just been cathing them and killing them. We had to put better fencing around the ponds since apparently my RES are escape artists. THought one was gone for good but we found him next door in my aunt's pond. So he is on punishment with the other's in the wading pool until we can finish the fencing for him.