Do Dragonflies Eat Mosquitos?

Picture this: you’re sitting in your backyard, enjoying the sunshine, maybe sipping a lemonade. Then WHAM! A large, fast bug whizzes past your head. If that bug is a horsefly, you can worry a little bit. But if that bug is a dragonfly, fret not—it’s one of the best insects to have around, especially because they’ll eat up all the mosquitos around. “Dragonflies love to eat mosquitoes and gnats and can help cut down on them,” says Allen Gibbs, an insect expert and life science professor at the University of Las Vegas.

There are more than 5,000 species of dragonflies and their brethren, damselflies, and they can be found all across North America, from the coasts to the deserts to the mountains. Generally harmless to humans (they can bite in self-defense, though they won’t do so unprompted), their appearance can be a little disconcerting at first, given that they can grow to have a wingspan of up to seven inches. But take a closer look at a dragonfly, and you might notice iridescent hues throughout its body and delicate patterns in its wings—they’re actually rather beautiful. “They are very pretty and fun to watch,” says Gibbs. “Dragonfly watching has become a growing hobby in recent years.”

So how can you attract dragonflies to your backyard or garden? “Water!” says Gibbs. “Dragonflies are aquatic insects. They lay their eggs in water and the larvae grow up in water.” While something like a small wading pool can attract dragonflies, you’re best off with a larger pond, one that’s about two-feet deep with sloped sides. “Put vegetation nearby so the adults have places to perch, and a few good-sized flat rocks for sunning,” says Gibbs. “Aquatic plants will provide cover for the larvae.” Just make sure you don’t keep fish in your pond, because they’ll eat the larvae, and that definitely defeats the whole purpose.

Now, as many homeowners know, stagnant water—like your dragonfly-attracting pond—is a potential breeding ground for mosquitos, which you obviously don’t want! Gibbs suggests placing a mosquito dunk, a small disk “which releases a bacterium that attacks mosquito larvae but not dragonfly larvae.” In fact, this is something you could place in a fish ponds, too, as it’s harmless to pretty much everything besides mosquito larvae.

You can also attract dragonflies by adding these specific plants to your garden. (Bonus: the plants are just as beautiful as the dragonflies!)