Garden Pond Pests

 

Birds and your fish pond

Using the proper plants in your garden pond will give your fish natural protection from birds. Overhangs and shade plants aid the fish in remaining hidden from predatory birds. However, birds can be very persistent and can become a problem in certain locales. Hot wires and bamboo deer chasers can have some value, but even these solutions are not fool proof.Birds can be a real problem for a fish pond and you need to be particularly vigilant at dawn and dusk, their favorite time to dine.

Some fish pond owners use netting over their ponds to keep unwanted pests out. This is extreme and detracts from the natural beauty of the garden pond.

 

Frogs

Frogs are fun to watch but they can become a nuisance in your pond. Ground toads are particularly noisy. If noise is an issue toads can be an anoyance.Toads will call their mates and then lay eggs in your pond.The egg sacks are generally poisonous so fish will not eat them. Tadpoles, in large quantities, will deplete the dissolved oxygen in the water and can cause breathing problems for your fish. If you do not want frogs and toads to overtake your garden pond, clean out any egg sacks as you discover them in your fish pond.

Cats and Dogs

Dogs for the most part will not do harm to the ecological system of your garden pond. Even if they dive in, they really don't present a problem. Most lose interest quickly. If you do have a water dog you will just have to tolerate the occasional overturned plant. Some are concerned about their claws puncturing the pond liner, but this is unlikely. If you construct your pond as described, there is little chance any animal claws will damage the liner.

Cats are not a problem either. Cats have been known to catch fish in a pond, but that is usually when the pond is built improperly allowing the cat to corner a fish in shallow water.

 

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