Monday, April 26, 2010

Hoglice?

Question:
Pond full of Water 'Hoglice'?
Hiya, I have been moved into my parents' house which came complete with garden pond which i know little about. Today i started pulling out some of the pond weed as there is quite a lot,and it is infested with what i believe to be hoglice, the weed is literally running alive with it, it's not something I have ever heard of or come across before, the pond otherwise seems okay, full of tadpoles at the moment and only a couple of fish and some babies which were born in the pond last year. should I just leave these lice? Is there anything I can do to get rid? are they causing harm? 

Hoping someone with pond knowledge will be able to assist on this one as I don't want to completely mess up the ecology of the pond.

Answer:
I would leave them alone. They have a predator:
but that predator is invasive and destroying water life all over the UK. I think the ecology of the pond will be fine.
I have a philosophy of benevolent neglect when it comes to ponds and it has served me well for over 20 years.


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