Non-intervention in pond life dramas?

[Billabong Karen]

I think I just need a bit of encouragement here...

I have a fairly new pond with tadpoles newts etc, of which I have become exceedingly fond. I have noticed over the last few days that the water boatmen have become extremely aggresive, grabbing and eating lots of the tadpoles... and I'm finding it hard not to interfere. Will the water boatmen clear out the remaining tadpoles? Up until last week I had lots of newtlets in the pond - they suddenly all seem to have disappeared, and now I am afraid the same will happen to the tadpoles.

I cleared out some of the blanketweed and duckweed last week - now I am worried that this has meant there was not so much cover for the newtlets and that I have inadvertently caused their downfall...

[Dogghound]

This is nature the strong survive, the weak die. Its part of a natural process that has taken place millions of times. Could the newts have emerged? or could they have been in the weed you removed? Unfortunately newt larvae are high on the diet of many species of aquatic predators.

[Billabong Karen]

I was very careful when removing the weed and inspected it for newt larvae etc. However, it is always possible that some were caught up in it. I expect some have emerged, but it seemed to me there were quite a lot of small ones, with gills still showing, so really too immature to have left the pond as yet.

Hopefully next year the pond plants will be more established and will provide more cover for them and the tadpoles.

[Dogghound]

In respect to water boatmen (Notonecta) they are not generally a key predator of amphibian larvae. They will take a small number of tadpoles, fish etc. But tend to hunt fallen insects in the surface film. Are you sure it is these that have caused the decline in newts? Have they just arrived?

[N0z]

I would say you might be accidently removing the baby newts when removing the blanket weed :O, i have 1 particular baby newt in my pond and its in the same spot everyday, i also have 2 water boatmans in my pond and the newts still there

[N0z]

Oh and i have normal and lesser water boatman

[DorsetDunk]

nature can be harsh to watch at times, the reason frogs produce such a high number of offspring is to make sure that a least some survive the perils of reaching adulthood it would do no good to intervene water boatmen are strong flyers and others will arrive to take up the territories of those you have removed, best just to be an observer than to interfere with the natural life cycle of the pond

[Billabong Karen]

They are definitely water boatmen; they skim along upside down on the surface but also dive amazingly well - and I have seen them predating the tadpoles. As you say, harsh to watch - but fascinating, too. And yesterday evening I did a careful pond dip and am relieved to report that I do indeed still have newtlets - they are just hiding carefully! Although it is sometimes difficult, I will restrain myself from intervening, and will continue to watch... Better than television any day!

[Billabong Karen]

And Dogghound, now that you mention it, the water boatmen are fairly new arrivals to the pond. I have only started to notice them in any numbers over the past couple of weeks.

[Billabong Karen]

Good news, by the way - I have started carefully putting stones and rocks at one end of the pond (each time I take the dogs for a walk I collect a stone or two), and this morning noticed four tiny froglets and two small newtlets making use of the space between the rocks . I am assuming the rocks/stones give them more protection from the water boatmen, so am very pleased!