How Do Dragonflies Kill Insects?
WouterDragonflies have complex nervous systems and they can detect and intercept prey while in mid-air. Their eyes have over 30,000 facets each. They use this information to calculate speed, distance, and angle. After calculating the angle, they wait for the prey to appear. They have an efficiency rate of 95 percent, making them efficient predators.
Dragonfly nymphs feed on a variety of small insects, including mosquito larvae and flies. Some species also eat guppies and tadpoles. Their jaws are very strong, allowing them to snag prey with a vicious bite.
Dragonflies can grow to three feet long. While at rest, they hold their wings out from their bodies. They also have large eyes that usually touch each other. Dragonfly larvae do not have external lamellae and cannot move as fast as adult dragonflies. This allows dragonflies to reach higher speeds and more distances than flies.
Many dragonflies lay their eggs in water. If you’d like to attract them to your garden, you can use a small pond with sloped sides. In addition, you can add some vegetation to provide dragonfly larvae with cover and perches. However, don’t forget that dragonfly larvae will be eaten by fish, so a pond with fish is not a good place for dragonflies.
Dragonflies are capable of killing a variety of insects. However, they are most effective in catching their prey while in flight. Moreover, adult dragonflies can wrap larger insects around their legs, swallowing them whole. Those with large wings, including hawking dragonflies, are also very efficient in catching prey while in the air.
