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How to catch a great diving beetle
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Posted by Kate_Fenland 8 UK (My Page) on Mon, Mar 21, 05 at 11:09
How does one catch a great diving beetle? I've been out at night with the torch and a sieve-on-a-pole. Any clever cunning plans out there?!
Once caught it's going flying over the fence - not having it near my newts' and frogs' spawn! |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: How to catch a great diving beetle
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| I'm afraid it'll fly back! They fly to find a nice pond anyway! |
RE: How to catch a great diving beetle
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| Size 9, they squelch so be warned. This is the big b****r we are talking about, like 1.5" long nose to bum. |
RE: How to catch a great diving beetle
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| After reading your posting Kate, I looked up information about the great diving beetle so I could be sure to recognize one when I see it. I noticed a picture of a rather spiky beast at the same time. Anyway, later I was staring into the pond, and noticed some vegatation moving about and realized I had just seen a picture of it--Caddis fly larvae! Never seen one before and was amazed by the complexity of its very intricate glued together tube of tiny twigs. Fortunately not as voracious as your beetles, (who by the way may stretch my 'let nature get on with it' philosophy). Anyway, good luck with the beetle problem. |
RE: How to catch a great diving beetle
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| Yes, I have the same approach - 'let nature get on with it' but being an interfering human I can't bear the thought of my first ever bunch of frogspawn and newtlets being lost. Mind you I managed to kill a newt with the hover mower the other day - was so cross with myself. Mowing is a nightmare! |
RE: How to catch a great diving beetle
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| Absolutely agree with you--those young amphibians need protecting (especially your first!). My sympathy with you and the newt--found a squished year-old frog last year and the only person it could have been was yours truly. Felt awful. Don't think I would feel the same way about the beetles though. |
RE: How to catch a great diving beetle
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Live & let Live I say.
A pair of Gt Diving Beetles in your pond, even with Voracious appetites don't have much influence on a healthy family of frogs or newts.
I once had a pair of adults and about 20 larvae, equally predatorial. I presume they fed well and flew away to pastures new. I have always found them to be a rare find on my field trips.
Dave |
RE: How to catch a great diving beetle
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| i could never chuck them out, I love them! I remember once when i was really young spending an entire day fishing for diving beetles with a net, dont remember them being that hard to catch though. |
RE: How to catch a great diving beetle
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| We have just spotted our first this year. We had loads of lavae last year and they caused carnage until we realised what they are. Fraid a net and my partner's size 13s are all we can recommend! |
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