How To Attract and Catch A Dragonfly [Complete Guide]

What attracts dragonflies to your yard?

For anyone without knowledge of what dragonflies are, the simple action of attracting and catching these insects is telling of their importance.

What Attracts Dragonflies And To Trap Them

So, what are these insects about and how beneficial are they to humans?

If you’ve heard rumors or know about how important they are, you would find this article helpful.

This is written for persons seeking to explore the benefits of dragonflies. We’ve included many ways through which you can attract these insects and also catch them.

If you are rather interested in control, here is how to get rid of dragonflies.

Like any living organism, dragonflies get attracted to certain situations or conditions. These are mostly related to food sources. Stick with us for more details.

Benefits of Dragonflies

Dragonflies offer many benefits.

These flying insects help with insect pest control, augmentation, visual appeal, as well as providing ecological benefits.

Let’s have a look at each of these benefits before getting into different ways of attracting them.

• Pest Control

One of the well-known benefits of dragonflies is their pest control abilities.

Dragonflies will prey on mosquito larvae, adult mosquitoes, spiders, bloodworms, aphids, and several other insect pest species.

Your garden is kept free from the destructive activities of certain pests due to the presence of dragonflies.

• Augmentation

Augmentation has to do with the introduction of predators into a new environment to help curb pest presence and activities. This is a widely popular strategy most people apply with dragonflies.

It’s possibly the reason why you want to attract and catch these insect predators.

One clear example to consider is the introduction of dragonflies to a mosquito-infested area. These flies do a great deal of work by hunting down mosquitoes and diminishing their population.

Augmentation is a strategy used to maintain ecological balance.

• Visual Appeal

A lot of people consider dragonflies as having visual appeal.

This is rightfully so due to their majestic metallic wings which are unique and add to the beauty of ponds, streams, and other water bodies.

Many homeowners want to have these around their homes to give them the desired ambiance.

• Provision of Ecological Benefits

In terms of ecological benefits, dragonflies do a lot of good as they help identify freshwater bodies. Asides from this key benefit, these flying creatures don’t bite or sting.

Most people find them fascinating to have around. The ecosystem is balanced with their introduction while enjoying the several other benefits they bring.

Attracting And Catching A Dragonfly

With the above benefits given, it’s clear why many would want to get these creatures around their homes. For this to be possible, you’ll need to find out what dragonflies are attracted to.

We earlier stated that these creatures are attracted to food sources.

Now food is just one of the sources of attraction for dragonflies. These are also attracted to breeding sites. Dragonflies are aquatic insects that need water to lay their eggs.

Such eggs hatch into larvae which molt into adult dragonflies once fully developed.

Do you wish to attract dragonflies to your home?

This section of the article is two-fold. The first involves attracting dragonflies while the second has to do with catching these insects.

There are different ways to do this.

Let’s have a look at the two processes.

i. How To Attract A Dragonfly To Your Yard

First off, you’ll need to create the right setting.

A water source needs to be made available followed by the addition of water plants. Consider edging ponds with more plants, and lastly add some flat rocks.

How do you attract dragonflies?

Let’s take a further look at each of these procedures.

• Creating the Right Setting

Creating the right setting for attraction encompasses all the others (that is; water source, water plants, prepping the pond, and flat rocks).

With the right conditions in place, all that’s left is for dragonflies to come calling.

You’ll have to be a bit patient as this might happen sooner than expected or might take a bit longer.

• Water Source

Is a large pond one of the requirements for attracting dragonflies? Not exactly! Dragonflies can also be found around small water bodies as long as it has the right conditions.

One thing your pond or water source must-have is a shallow edge. There must be shallow edges as well as a center that is at least 2 feet deep.

If you can’t seem to figure out how to create such, all you have to do is shop for one. Home improvement stores are places where you can find the perfect pre-molded pond shape.

• Water Plants

To attract dragonflies, there should be water plants.

These serve as perching spots as well as launch pads or platforms from where dragonfly nymphs take their flight.

Examples of water plants you can use include rain lily, creeping jenny, water lily, dwarf papyrus, and blue-eyed grass.

Other perfect water plants to include are cardinal flowers, mosaic plants, blue flag iris, bug lily, duckweed, marsh marigold, and pickerel rush among others.

• Edging your Ponds

Getting the right plants is one thing.

Having them well placed within your pond is another. To allow for, or create more perching ground for dragonflies, consider having these placed at the edges as well as within the water body.

You can also have shrubs grown around the pond edges as well.

• Adding Flat Rocks

Looking for how to attract dragonflies to your yard without a pond?

Flat rocks will be a perfect addition to your garden as they serve as platforms where dragonflies perch on to sun themselves.

These rocks absorb heat hence enabling these creatures to get some heat.

ii. Catching Dragonflies

What do you want to catch dragonflies for? Irrespective of your needs, there are steps to follow in catching these insects. First off, you’ll need a dark-colored net.

Armed with such a net, you’ll need to get to where these insects are. Now, proper positioning is very important for best results.

We recommend keeping out of sight by standing behind areas they’re lying. Sudden movements should be avoided. Also, hiding behind a shrub or other greenery will be helpful.

With the net opening slightly tilted upwards, swoop at any passing dragonflies you see.

Do not expect to immediately find dragonflies flying around you. You might need to be a bit patient. Sometimes, you might be lucky to immediately find some to catch.

Now you know how to attract and catch a dragonfly.

What remains is for you to swing into action. With the procedures provided above, you shouldn’t have any difficulties catching some dragonflies.