Do Dragonflies Eat Mosquitoes? Here's Why They Are Mosquito's Predator

Dragonflies are beautiful-winged flying insects that belong to the order of Odonata, under the class Insecta.

A pair of huge, multidimensional compound eyes, two pairs of powerful, transparent wings, occasionally with colorful patches, and an elongated body distinguish adult dragonflies.

Dragonflies are often confused with damselflies, which belong to the other odonatan infraorder (Zygoptera) and have a similar body plan but are typically lighter in build. However, most dragonflies hold their wings flat and away from the body when at rest, whereas damselflies hold their wings folded along or above the abdomen.

Damselflies and dragonfly nymphs are both aquatic insect species. The rectum of the damselflies and dragonfly nymphs has gills that allow them to breathe.

Adult dragonfly feed on other insect and bug species, especially mosquitoes, and can eat hundreds of them in a single day. Because their larvae, like mosquito larvae, are aquatic, they are generally found around lakes, ponds, and other bodies of water.

In reality, a dragonfly can eat mosquito larvae, making them a two-pronged menace. Adult dragonfly don't bite or sting people, but their larvae can cause serious discomfort.

Dragonfly, as insects, eat wasps regularly.

The dragonfly sits on a leaf until the wasp flies above them and then shoots off the leaf to grab it. They fix their gaze on their target and can change their flight speed in a matter of seconds.

They also eat ants, termites, bees, and other insects, and when big colonies of ants or termites are discovered, they like to hunt in groups. They don't feed on plants as they are carnivorous species of insect.

If you like reading about dragonflies, you should read further to know about them in detail. There is a lot of such information available on whether dragonflies can eat a bug or mosquitoes, and lots of curious questions have been answered for you.

How many mosquitoes do dragonflies eat in a day?

Let's find out!

• Adult mosquitoes and mosquito larvae are eaten by dragonflies and nymphs, which are vicious predators. However, there are no concrete figures on how many mosquitoes they can eat in a day.
• Dragonflies are said to be capable of eating 100 or more mosquitoes every day, which is rather astounding.
• This is why they are popularly and commonly known as 'mosquito hawks', similar to how a hawk swoops in on its prey.

Do dragonflies keep mosquitoes away?

Yes, dragonflies keep away mosquitoes. Because a single dragonfly can eat up to 100 mosquitos every day, attracting these insects can aid with mosquito control.

• Adult dragonflies have a lifespan of three to six months and are fierce predators.
• They are fast fliers that prey on tiny insects and bugs, and therefore, mosquitoes are one of the dragonflies' major feeding sources.
• Mosquitoes like to dwell and reproduce in hot, humid environments, which are often near aquatic sources such as ponds.
• As this is also a dragonfly's ideal habitat, it's no surprise that mosquitos are one of its key food sources and the main reason why they keep mosquitoes away.

How many mosquitoes do dragonflies eat per hour?

There's no exact estimate of how many mosquitoes dragonflies eat per hour.

• Some studies have shown that a dragonfly can consume somewhere about 30 times its weight in just under 30 minutes.
• That being said, a dragonfly can eat anywhere between 100 and several hundred mosquitoes in a single day!

What draws dragonflies to your yard?

Dragonflies love water, and you must have access to water if you really want to attract them to your yard.

• The presence of water or an aquatic source offers a safe haven for dragonfly larvae as they grow and provides a bonus food supply if mosquitoes and small insects choose to spawn there.
• A small pond with a diameter of roughly 20 ft (6 m) is ideal. The depth of the pond should not exceed 2 ft (0.6 m). It also requires sloping sides on the edges that gradually ascend to the surface.
• As this mosquito-hawk exits the larval stage, this style of the pond will enable them to complete their development.
• Make sure you don't put any fish in the pond. Otherwise, the larvae may possibly be eaten by other elements.
• If you don't have much room in your yard or outdoor area, consider putting it in a rain garden or a small bog. This should be a location where the water can stay for a long time. The bigger the amount of water, the more dragonflies you'll attract.
• You'll need the correct plant to make it function now that you have the water. For the pond or bog of water, you'll need both submerged and surface plants. The dwarf Sagittaria can be the ideal submerged plant since it offers food and shelter for a dragonfly in its larvae and nymph stages. You should also plant some black-eyed Susan or Rudbeckia hirta around the pond, as well as maybe some swamp milkweed.
• Emergent plants attract dragonflies, who deposit their eggs on their roots. Water lilies and water horsetails are the most prevalent emergent unrooted plant to attract these mosquito-eating insects. While the plants themselves are uninteresting to dragonflies, they attract the pollinators that this mosquito-hawk likes eating.
• Nymph dragonflies, being hunter species, tend to examine the environment around them for prey and predators.
• Therefore, only a few large trees or locations that hinder the dragonfly's eyesight should be present in the region around your pond.