For those of you with a Pool

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Shan

Joined: 13 Jan 2009
Posts: 9075
Location: South Wales

Posted: Thu Jul 12, 18 8:40 am Post subject: For those of you with a Pool

I don't know about you but I dislike finding poor creatures drowned in the pool. Clearly they want to get to the water but then can't get out. I had removed multiple lizards, mice, shrews, frogs and a few birds. I have since installed a 'Frog Log' and since then (maybe coincidence) but the pool has been clear of corpses. I have not seen any frogs or lizards on it but I have noticed the birds land on it and drink water from the pool. It's not cheap but it does work and I'm sure those with time and DIY inclinations could easily make up something similar for their pools if they have the same problem. It's basically a little floating platform with a skirt sitting in the water plus a strip/bridge joining onto a weighted bag. The weighted bag sits on the tiles around the pool with the floating bit in the pool.

It has been in the water for a good many weeks and seems to be very effective.

buzzy

Joined: 04 Jan 2011
Posts: 3708
Location: In a small wood on the edge of the Huntingdonshire Wolds

Posted: Thu Jul 12, 18 11:16 am Post subject:
Sounds a brilliant idea! Well done! Does it reduce the number of invertebrates as well? Henry

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46211
Location: yes

Posted: Thu Jul 12, 18 11:23 am Post subject:
on a smaller scale a twig in each slug trap reduces bycatch to almost nowt

Shan

Joined: 13 Jan 2009
Posts: 9075
Location: South Wales

Posted: Thu Jul 12, 18 11:33 am Post subject:

buzzy wrote:

Sounds a brilliant idea! Well done!

Does it reduce the number of invertebrates as well?

Henry

Well, the wasps still seem to dive bomb the pool and drown quite quickly but we don't seem to have very many beetles, dragonflies, etc drowning.... perhaps they are better at holding their breath...

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15967

Posted: Tue Jul 17, 18 7:31 am Post subject:

We have a bucket of water up in the woods for birds and animals to drink from. Saw a squirrel one day, but mainly birds and insects. We have put a lump of wood in there so that anything that falls in can at least climb onto that and survive, even if we then have to help it out. Insects use it and crawl down the edges to get at the wet bits or water. Have seen some beautiful hornets round it as well as wasps and bees.

Shan

Joined: 13 Jan 2009
Posts: 9075
Location: South Wales

Posted: Tue Jul 17, 18 1:00 pm Post subject:
I'm not all that keen on wasps but I don't like seeing anything drown.

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15967

Posted: Wed Jul 18, 18 6:04 am Post subject:
Wasps can be a nuisance later in the year, but they do get rid of a lot of flies early on when they are feeding the young.

Shan

Joined: 13 Jan 2009
Posts: 9075
Location: South Wales

Posted: Wed Jul 18, 18 7:38 am Post subject:
Everything plays its part (although I have no compunction about murdering midges and mosquitos).

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15967

Posted: Thu Jul 19, 18 6:48 am Post subject:
You do wonder sometimes with things like horse flies, mosquitoes and ticks though.

Shan

Joined: 13 Jan 2009
Posts: 9075
Location: South Wales

Posted: Thu Jul 19, 18 8:20 am Post subject:
I know! What on earth is their purpose? There have been loads of horseflies this year - both in the UK and Portugal! Evil creatures!

buzzy

Joined: 04 Jan 2011
Posts: 3708
Location: In a small wood on the edge of the Huntingdonshire Wolds

Posted: Thu Jul 19, 18 9:30 am Post subject:
Does everything have to have a "purpose"? Can't horseflies just enjoy the odd meal of blood and get on with their lives? But they do give work to journos, allowing them to write headlines such as "PLAGUE OF VAMPIRE FLIES TO HIT BRITAIN!!!" That must have earned somebody a few bob! Henry

Shan

Joined: 13 Jan 2009
Posts: 9075
Location: South Wales

Posted: Thu Jul 19, 18 3:29 pm Post subject:
A Plague of Journalists would be even worse. A pox on the lot of them!

buzzy

Joined: 04 Jan 2011
Posts: 3708
Location: In a small wood on the edge of the Huntingdonshire Wolds

Posted: Thu Jul 19, 18 6:43 pm Post subject:

Shan wrote:

A Plague of Journalists would be even worse. A pox on the lot of them!

Did you see the anti-Trump banner that said "Feed him to the Corgis"?

You could have one for journalists "Feed them to the horse flies"

Henry

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15967

Posted: Fri Jul 20, 18 7:06 am Post subject:
Unfortunately I seem to have been fed to the mosquitoes at the moment. The horse fly season seems to be over, and although the bites hurt, for some reason I didn't get much swelling. The mossies seem to have triggered a reaction though and my arms keep swelling up badly. I suppose they don't have a 'purpose' but found an ecological niche that I wish they had overlooked.

Shan

Joined: 13 Jan 2009
Posts: 9075
Location: South Wales

Posted: Fri Jul 20, 18 7:26 am Post subject:
I've been using the Avon Skin so Soft Dry oil and I have been fairly bite free. It's got citronella in it, which I actually hate the smell off but for some reason it doesn't smell like citronella... and yet, seems to work.

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