overwintering dragon fly larvae?

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Gambusia

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Nov 26, 2003
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I have a big dragon fly larvae in my patio pond.

Question is should I dismantle the pond and put the larvae in an aquarium come fall or dump it back in the creek or leave the pond up?

I know dragonfly's eat mosquitos, which is why it is in there to morph into an adult dragonfly later.

Dragonflies have laid their eggs in this pond last year. I left it over the winter but the ice got suprisingly thick for North Carolina.

It got so thick I could stand on it and I am 180 pounds!
 
The larvae can live for up to 5 years in some varieties, I've read. And they can bite and hurt like heck, someone said felt like a hornet. They capture and suck the juices out of reasonably sized fish.

I wouldn't want it in my aquarium!
 
If you can provide it with a very cool tank, by itself with maybe some plants, it should be okay. The problem is that the warmth will keep it active, which means it will need to be fed. This would work as well--if you can feed it, appropriate foods. Normally, the larvae will bury themselves into the dirt and be fine. They survive Wyoming winters, after all. :)
 
Also isn't there a chance that it would just form into an adult in the aquarium since it is heated and all. Then you would have an adult that would starve to death in the winter, that was a little story that Amano told in his first book anyway.
 
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