Is releasing dragonflies raised as nymphs in captivity bad for the environment?

[AAO]

I was looking into aquatic invert options recently and I was curious about dragon fly nymphs. I’ve raised aquatic beetles in the past, but never dragonfly larvae. With beetles, I have no problem just raising them their whole lives in captivity, but keeping a fast, active insect like a dragonfly in captivity seems a bit less ideal for them. If a nymph is raised on captive bred prey items, are the contaminants from these livestock a danger to the environment if released? Would the contaminants even exist in the molted adult?

Any tips on how to raise and release nymphs safely?

Thanks for any insight!

 

[Thearachnidaddict]

I don’t see how it can hurt unless it were an invasive species but I am no expert.

 

[AAO]

I don’t see how it can hurt unless it were an invasive species but I am no expert.

I’m mostly worried about diseases and microbes that are fairly common in captive bred feeders. I know these can be a serious problem with fish and mammals, but insects are a bit more contained biologically so I’m not sure.

 

[Malum Argenteum]

A bery quick search on Google Scholar turns up a fair number of leads. Though I'm not implying that this one directly addresses your specific case, this gives a flavor of things -- from a paper from Edinburgh's Vet School about captive breeding for reintroduction (https://www.researchgate.net/profil...errestrial-invertebrate-conservation-programs)

"It would be totally irresponsible for zoological collections to undertake breeding and release programs without pathogen risk assessments, and screening to prevent the introduction of diseases into the wild population...[snip]... IUCN guidelines for re-introductions (34) and translocations (35) are as relevant to invertebrates as to vertebrates. "

Some states (Ohio comes to mind as a recent one I read about) prohibit the re-release of wildlife after it has been in held captivity for even a very short time.

 

[charlesbrooks]

No... Anything that controls mosquitoes populations naturally is always a great appreciated thing

 

[Edan bandoot]

I'd say it's best not to release them

 

[Introvertebrate]

The guys on the frog forum always make a big deal out of re-releasing stuff. In reference to your critters, I say just spread 'em and mount 'em. Florida has plenty of dragonflies already.

 

[Ranitomeya]

As mentioned, it's not a good idea to release individuals fed prey that are not native to the environment due to foreign pathogens and parasites. I cultured and released a rare damselfly for work using only local well water and prey items found in their native habitat to avoid introducing non-native organisms that might be released with the damselflies. If you're feeding them healthy prey local to the area, it shouldn't be a problem. If your prey items were non-native and/or at risk of carrying something infectious, it would be ill-advised to release what you've reared.

Keep in mind that even local pathogens and parasites can become a problem if you're undertaking captive breeding. The captive environment often increases the levels of parasitism and infection significantly in comparison to what you would see in the wild due to things such as the accumulation of the pathogenic or parasitic organisms in a contained system. It's possible to produce organisms literally bursting with infectious material that could cause problems when released into an environment where things are often delicately balanced.

 

[AAO]

Thank you so much for the replies everyone! I will be sticking to aquatic beetles and hemipterans that I can keep their whole life cycles. ^^

 

[Wayfarin]

Your best bet would be to capture scuds, sowbugs, seed shrimp, snails, worms, water fleas, or water boatmen from a local freshwater ecosystem.
Introduce them to an aquarium and allow them to establish and breed. This can be the feeder tank.
The "farm" of live feeders that carry no new diseases. (Many of them are also interesting to watch in their own right.)
These shouldn't be too difficult to breed and can subsist mainly on algae, diatoms, and detritus from the pond.
Then capture a dragonfly larva from the same location.

Or you could create a backyard pond that will attract dragonflies and capture a dragonfly larva from that pond.
Then you would be able to search the pond and collect prey a few times a week to feed to the dragonfly.
And you could put out a few dirty dishes of water nearby to attract mosquitoes and midges to use as feeders.

(Be sure that your state allows the release of dragonflies, though. Some states are berserk concerning their laws about animals, including insects.)

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

Your best bet would be to capture scuds, sowbugs, seed shrimp, snails, worms, water fleas, or water boatmen from a local freshwater ecosystem.
Introduce them to an aquarium and allow them to establish and breed. This can be the feeder tank.
The "farm" of live feeders that carry no new diseases. (Many of them are also interesting to watch in their own right.)
These shouldn't be too difficult to breed and can subsist mainly on algae, diatoms, and detritus from the pond.
Then capture a dragonfly larva from the same location.

Or you could create a backyard pond that will attract dragonflies and capture a dragonfly larva from that pond.
Then you would be able to search the pond and collect prey a few times a week to feed to the dragonfly.
And you could put out a few dirty dishes of water nearby to attract mosquitoes and midges to use as feeders.

(Be sure that your state allows the release of dragonflies, though. Some states are berserk concerning their laws about animals, including insects.)

Old thread but that’s a Cool idea especially having your own pond but we can’t the dog would just roll around in it . And catching aquatic bugs cannot be easy .

 

[Wayfarin]

Old thread but that’s a Cool idea especially having your own pond but we can’t the dog would just roll around in it . And catching aquatic bugs cannot be easy .

Yeah, one of the reasons that I still comment on old threads is to share ideas with the readers of the old posts.
You could find a way to fence off the pond from the dogs.
Dragonflies can even breed in raised tubs with water and vegetation.

And it isn't difficult to collect aquatic invertebrates. A butterfly net, a bucket, and an aquarium net are all that is required.
Simply scoop the bottom detritus and mud with a net (or a shovel) and dump it into the bucket.
Then use the aquarium net to scoop out the diversity of captured insects, crustaceans, snails, and worms.

Aquatic invertebrates seem to spend their lives surprisingly closely clustered together.
A single scoop can reveal dozens of dragonfly and damselfly nymphs alongside other insects and invertebrates.
But this scoop of detritus and mud must be dumped in a day or two or it might collapse a miniature ecosystem from poor oxygen levels.

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

Yeah, one of the reasons that I still comment on old threads is to share ideas with the readers of the old posts.
You could find a way to fence off the pond from the dogs.
Dragonflies can even breed in raised tubs with water and vegetation.

And it isn't difficult to collect aquatic invertebrates. A butterfly net, a bucket, and an aquarium net are all that is required.
Simply scoop the bottom detritus and mud with a net (or a shovel) and dump it into the bucket.
Then use the aquarium net to scoop out the diversity of captured insects, crustaceans, snails, and worms.

Aquatic invertebrates seem to spend their lives surprisingly closely clustered together.
A single scoop can reveal dozens of dragonfly and damselfly nymphs alongside other insects and invertebrates.

Nah I got enough spiders for now to be content .. it’s my parents house are yards not large enough for a pond or they might already have one .

 

[Wayfarin]

Nah I got enough spiders for now to be content .. it’s my parents house are yards not large enough for a pond or they might already have one .

You have good judgement in being reluctant to take on too many animals to appropriately meet the needs of.
It is difficult to keep aquatic invertebrates alive in captivity. I've lost enough dragonflies and backswimmers to lose my mind.
At least predaceous diving beetles can adapt.

But ostracods and physae? Too indestructible to even be considered pets. A houseplant is a pet by comparison.

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

You have good judgement in being reluctant to take on too many animals to appropriately meet the needs of.
It is difficult to keep aquatic invertebrates alive in captivity. I've lost enough dragonflies and backswimmers to lose my mind.
At least predaceous diving beetles can adapt.

But ostracods and physae? Too indestructible to even be considered pets. A houseplant is a pet by comparison.

I don’t have the space because I have too much stuff and can only fit so many Ts on two racks. I can handle significantly more just I got to keep it low until I can manage my anxiety. My spare speakers take up lots of space . And a tube tv two are stuck downstairs …
14 Is plenty for a while . 10 gals take loads of space up.

 

[Kada]

Probably too risky and beyond the scope of most of us hobbyists. euthanize, don't release! The risk of pathogens and diseases is great, and most people don't have the lab resources to ensure it being safe, especially the costs invlved for just one animal. Even labs rarely can truly guarantee safety. Generally speaking, captive specimens should not be released, especially native species and especially in facilities that house foreign species (massive risk of releasing disease to the wild hat crossed over).

Probably best to just accept the responsibility of if we take something from the wild, there is no re release. Keep it until (hopefully natural) death! We will have to kill it in order to be responsible. This may also help drive in the idea we don't need to keep things if the end goal is to just release them in the future. Keep forever (if there is a good reason to have WC of that species in the first place) or leave in the wild

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

Probably too risky and beyond the scope of most of us hobbyists. euthanize, don't release! The risk of pathogens and diseases is great, and most people don't have the lab resources to ensure it being safe, especially the costs invlved for just one animal. Even labs rarely can truly guarantee safety. Generally speaking, captive specimens should not be released, especially native species and especially in facilities that house foreign species (massive risk of releasing disease to the wild hat crossed over).

Probably best to just accept the responsibility of if we take something from the wild, there is no re release. Keep it until (hopefully natural) death! We will have to kill it in order to be responsible. This may also help drive in the idea we don't need to keep things if the end goal is to just release them in the future. Keep forever (if there is a good reason to have WC of that species in the first place) or leave in the wild

Depends we’re you live pesticides wiped out most wild bugs and critters were I live so if someone let dragonflies free it would help my ecosystem. There native too Ohio . But yeah don’t let invasive species free is the moral of the story in that way your correct !!
Feed them to your Ts or something.:if no pesticides are involved dragonflies are on the menu of spiders .
I’ve let native moths free i raised cb it never hurt anything..

 

[Wayfarin]

Probably too risky and beyond the scope of most of us hobbyists. euthanize, don't release! The risk of pathogens and diseases is great, and most people don't have the lab resources to ensure it being safe, especially the costs invlved for just one animal. Even labs rarely can truly guarantee safety. Generally speaking, captive specimens should not be released, especially native species and especially in facilities that house foreign species (massive risk of releasing disease to the wild hat crossed over).

Probably best to just accept the responsibility of if we take something from the wild, there is no re release. Keep it until (hopefully natural) death! We will have to kill it in order to be responsible. This may also help drive in the idea we don't need to keep things if the end goal is to just release them in the future. Keep forever (if there is a good reason to have WC of that species in the first place) or leave in the wild

I don't think that every release is risky. For example, an insect or arachnid that originated in our backyard and didn't come in contact with imported crickets, dubia roaches, or darkling beetles is unlikely to carry any bacteria or diseases that don't already exist in the environment.

I usually only feed wild spiders and other predators wild insects and other prey that originated in the same location.
And dragonfly nymphs from a backyard pond feeding on mosquito larvae from that backyard aren't being introduced to any foreign threats.

There is also logic behind this. Why would you buy feeders for an animal that isn't even a permanent pet?
Just feed it what it was feeding on in the wild.

If all it takes to spread diseases to everything is to take them indoors, then that means that every time we open or close a door we are introducing new diseases to the environment.

 

[Wayfarin]

Depends we’re you live pesticides wiped out most wild bugs and critters were I live so if someone let dragonflies free it would help my ecosystem. There native too Ohio . But yeah don’t let invasive species free is the moral of the story in that way your correct !!
Feed them to your Ts or something.:if no pesticides are involved dragonflies are on the menu of spiders .
I’ve let native moths free i raised cb it never hurt anything..

There is a risk, though, that dragonflies originating from many miles away could introduce invasive diseases or parasites.
If a dragonfly is going to be released, it should have originated somewhat close to where it is being introduced.

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

There is a risk, though, that dragonflies originating from many miles away could introduce invasive diseases or parasites.
If a dragonfly is going to be released, it should have originated somewhat close to where it is being introduced.

Yeah If it’s local no harm otherwise I’d say don’t release any captive breed wildlife it’s just not worth the risks .. look at Florida it’s covered in wild pets people set free that just doesn’t work .