Dragonflies Are Our Friends: Just One Can Eat Hundreds of Mosquitoes a Day

This spring, we had so much rain, and rain attracts mosquitoes. Fortunately, dragonflies love rain too, as they lay their eggs on water, just like mosquitoes.

Dragonflies are members of the order Odonata, and the adult ones have giant, multifaceted eyes, two pairs of transparent wings, often with colored patches, which make them agile fliers, and an elongated body. There are thousands of species of dragonflies worldwide.

The eyes make up almost all of their head, so dragonflies have an incredible vision that encompasses almost every angle except right behind them.

They are similar to damselflies (Zygoptera), but the wings of most dragonflies are held flat and away from the body, while damselflies hold the wings folded at rest, along or above the abdomen. Also, damselflies feed on the surface of leaves of other vegetation.

Apparently, these insects are our friends, as The Smithsonian magazine reported that dragonflies can eat from 30 up to hundreds of mosquitoes daily, along with other insects. Moreover, their larvae feast on mosquito larvae in the water. In their larval stage, which can last up to two years,  these insects are aquatic and eat just about anything, including insect larvae, fish, tadpoles, mosquitoes, and even each other.

Being great fliers, they easily catch mosquitoes and all their other meals on the wing. When they rest horizontally, they are basking to absorb heat from the sun. Yet, when they rest with their tails up high, they are “obelisking” to release heat from their bodies.

There are numerous facts related to these interesting insects, but you will choose whether you will delve further into their world or not.

Yet, what we definitely recommend is to welcome them to your garden and yard, as they are among the most potent ways to control mosquitoes!