Mosquitoes are pesky pests that are common in most households.
However, fighting mosquitoes with pesticides is harmful to the environment.
Pesticides contain harmful chemicals that can cause more damage to your garden and other living creatures around them. Your pets can ingest them, and their residue will drain out to rivers and seas through water run-off. That’s why we look for all the possible means to eradicate them without resorting to using chemicals.
Thankfully, dragonflies are known predators of mosquitoes.
According to studies, dragonfly nymphs feed on mosquitoes in their earlier stages. Most dragonflies are perfect for feeding on larvae, while only the larger ones can feed on the pupae because of its since. Nonetheless, this is an excellent, eco-friendly way to get rid of mosquitoes.
But how do you attract dragonflies in your garden?
There are multiple ways to attract dragonflies in your garden, and most of them are great ideas to beautify them. Some allow you to be more creative and innovative.
For one, you can plant flowers that can attract dragonflies.
The most popular among these flowers are the Black-eyed Susan, Meadow Sage, Swamp Milkweed, and Coneflowers, to name a few. These beautiful and bright beauties attract a lot of pollinators, including dragonflies. They add color to your garden, too.
Installing a water feature in your yard is also a sure way to attract them.
You can build an artificial pond or create a birdbath. It doesn’t matter how big it is; dragonflies would still love them. They love to lay eggs in still water, so you’ll indeed find a lot of them in your water feature through time.
You can make a fish pond, too. But take extra precautions.
Fish feed on insect eggs in the water. It’s best to protect dragonfly eggs by placing aquatic plants that can cover or protect the eggs. A fish pond can be counterproductive in attracting dragonflies, so only do so if you know how to maintain it and, at the same time, make sure it doesn’t feed on dragonfly eggs, larvae, or nymphs.
Lastly, you can create “Creative Gardens” in your backyard and add a water feature.
Also called container gardens, these are gardens made in containers at least two feet deep and can be as big or small as you like. Others repurpose materials to make one, just like the truck gardens in Japan. This is something you can do if you don’t have that much space to build a pond in your backyard but still want to add a water feature to attract dragonflies.
Some creative gardens add a little space for a mini “pond” or tank.
You can add aquatic plants such as water lilies, cattail, and Joe-Pye weed to attract dragonflies, which also function as their laying area.
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