Do you have a pond in your yard? It can be fun to have a pond that you can enjoy observing in the yard.
Many people find it relaxing to sit and gaze at the pond. Some people think it’s neat to look at the various animals that live in or near the pond as well.
There’s a good chance that your pond has many newts in it if you live in an area where they’re prevalent. If you like newts you might want to help them to thrive.
What do newts eat in a pond? Read on to learn more about them and the types of things that they like to feed on in ponds.
What Newts Eat
Newts are known to eat many different things. In the wild, newts will seek out various types of bugs.
Many bugs can be found near ponds so it makes the pond a good hunting spot for newts. It’s common for newts to hunt daphnia worms, leeches, ants, mayfly nymphs, and more.
These creatures will also hunt tadpoles. As you know, frogs are very common sights in ponds.
Frogs raise their young in ponds and these tadpoles will be a good food source for hungry newts. It’s common for tadpoles to get eaten by newts before they can grow into frogs.
They will also choose to eat frog eggs if they get the chance. In some cases, small frogs might even become a meal for a newt.
There are times when newts will be able to eat small crustaceans as well. For instance, you might see newts snacking on certain types of pond snails.
They love eating shrimp when they get the chance as well. If you’re trying to feed the newts yourself it’s likely that you’ll want to give them brine shrimp.
The newts will enjoy eating the brine shrimp and it’s easy enough to come by. It’s typical for people to feed newts shrimp when keeping them as pets.
How Long Do Newts Stay in a Pond?
Generally, newts will be in the pond starting sometime in the spring. Adult newts gather at ponds for breeding purposes as well as to look for food.
Female newts will begin laying their eggs during March. The newts can lay eggs in the pond between the months of March and July.
When the eggs hatch they will become what some people call “newt tadpoles.” These baby newts are in a larval state and they need time to develop into full newts.
These little newts won’t leave the pond until they’re ready. It will usually be the case that the baby newts will leave the pond in the late days of summer or the early days of autumn.
So the newts will stay in the pond during the spring and summer. They will typically be gone by the time autumn arrives.
What Month Do Newts Leave the Pond?
Expect newts to leave the pond in September. In some cases, the newts might leave the pond in late August.
It just depends on the development of the juvenile newts. They won’t leave the pond until they’re ready.
Sometimes the newts will stay until autumn, but they will leave the pond in the early autumn. It’s more common for newts to leave during the late summer.
So the exact month that the newts will leave the pond will be hard to determine. It could be August or it could be September.
Chances are that September will be a safer bet. Autumn doesn’t arrive until several weeks into September, after all.
How to Clean a Pond With Newts
Sometimes you’re going to need to clean the pond. Doing so without harming any of the animals that live in the pond can be challenging when you don’t know what to do.
In the spring, you should plant anything that you’re supposed to plant in the pond. You can’t do too much else during this time of year since you don’t want to disturb the animals in the pond.
Some aspects of cleaning the pond will be easier during the summer. It’s less dangerous for the newts when you clean the pond in the summer.
The newts should have already hatched and will be less vulnerable. Even the insects that the newts feed on should have hatched by this point in time.
Start cleaning by cutting away undesirable vegetation. Just make sure that you don’t remove too much plant cover since the newts like being able to hide among the plants.
You might need to top off the water during the summer. Don’t do this with tap water because cool water will shock the animals in the pond and possibly kill them.
Instead, you should be using containers of rainwater. Collect rainwater in containers before this time so that you can use the water to ensure that the pond is full.
Once autumn arrives, you can do a lot of work. Clearing out the pond will be easier since the newts will have left by this point.
You can get rid of decomposing plants, debris, and any invasive plants that you don’t want in the pond. Of course, you should still be careful not to disturb any animals that might be living in the pond.
This is a good time to clear out sludge and other things in the pond that are making it look unsightly. Do your best to get rid of as much debris in the pond as you can.
The winter time will involve doing some maintenance. You might need to get rid of snow or keep it from piling up in the pond.
It might be necessary to keep the water flowing in the pond to prevent issues with ice. This can be done using some type of circulation device to prevent the water from being still.
Final Thoughts
Newts are such interesting creatures and there’s a good chance that you like having them in your pond. If you enjoy the newts quite a bit, it’s good to do your best to look out for them.
Be careful when cleaning the pond so you don’t disturb the newts. You also don’t want to disturb the insects and the eggs that they lay in the pond.
The insect eggs will be an important food source for the newts. You’ll want to ensure that the pond is in good condition so the newts can continue to thrive.
You shouldn’t have to feed the newts yourself when caring for a natural pond. The natural ecosystem should provide enough food for the newts.
These newts will eat many things such as insects, tadpoles, small frogs, daphnia worms, and more. There are so many things that newts like to eat in ponds.
You’ll also find that these newts will be using your pond for breeding purposes. Starting in March, you’ll see female newts laying their eggs in the pond.
The “new tadpoles” will take months to become full newts. They won’t leave the pond until sometime in August or September.
Now you should have a much clearer understanding of how newts live in ponds. You know what they eat and you understand how you can clean the pond while looking out for the well-being of the newts.
Let your friends and family know what you learned about newts today. If they have ponds of their own they will surely appreciate the information.
Ben has a bachelor’s degree in construction engineering. When not constructing or remodeling X-Ray Rooms, Cardiovascular Labs, and Pharmacies, you can find him at home with wife and two daughters. Outside of family, He loves grilling and barbequing on his Big Green Egg and Blackstone Griddle, as well as working on projects around the house.
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