Trouble Shooting Tips

Text Box: These worms start out as small moths and are migratory so you never know when they will show up. What they look for is perfect weather and a place to reproduce. Picture below shows how these moths sometimes attack the blooms.

Text Box: Aphids are one of the pests that are a real pain. In the early summer the females fly from a near by tree bark where it survived the winter and begins to eat the tender green of the leaf and flower stem. The safest way to get rid of this little bugs is by hosing them off with the water pressure. If knocked down into the pond the fish or dragonfly larvae will have a feast with them. Another method is go to your home and garden center and ask for something that won’t harm your fish if it lands in the pond.

Text Box: Sandwich Bug a/k/a Cut Worm a/k/a Delta Moth Larvae This is one of the worst bugs to deal with. If nothing is done as soon as they appear they can destroy your plants in a matter of a week. These bugs fly at night so you don't see them during the day. They fly in at night shed their wings and cut the leaves to form a sandwich then they go down in the water and attach themselves at the stem or under the leaves and within a few days or so you have many more of the same bugs, they can multiply very fast. They don't attack the mature leaves they prefer the young and tender ones. They can vary from some that you can barely see to ones that are almost a inch long. The best solution for this is DIPEL ( be sure to follow label directions ) there is other products but use caution it may harm aquatic life in your pond.

Text Box: The leaves above were damaged within 3 days

Text Box: Raccoons, muskrats, turtles, and some lizards that are vegetarians could decide to visit your pond; the pads, blooms and even the rhizomes are fair game for these visitors. If you see a pad or a bloom floating across your pond, chances are one of these mentioned is the culprit. Birds, raccoons and muskrats are also attracted by the fish, in your pond, and once they find a source of food they will come back every night to see what is on the menu. To take care of the amphibious visitors, the best way is to catch them by using a fish net, and take them somewhere that they won’t come back soon. You can set traps that are sold in places like home garden centers or you may consider putting up an electric fence for the small animals. Birds are a little more difficult, in most parts of the country certain birds are protected. You might check with the wildlife department in your area before taking any measures to remedy a bird problem. It helps if there are enough places for the fish to hide. I have customers that put a net over the pond to keep the birds out.