Yikes !!! (Leeches) Help

[Bette E]

[Benign Vanilla]

"Bette E" > wrote in message
...
> I found leeches in my veggie filter.
> The gal who built it for me, put in a few sm. cat tails from a wild
> pond, near her home. (I didn't know where they came from till tonight.)
> I assumed they came from her own pond. All other plants came from from
> commercial growers.
> She has no idea what to do about leeches. Will they kill my lg. goldfish
> and shebunkins??
> I have a small mouth bass from a fish hatchery, in the pond (to eat
> fry). Will the bass eat the leeches? I have no idea how many there are.
<snip>

I have not had leeches, but in the past other PORG's have suggested that you
float a piece of liver in your pond with a piece of string tied to it. If
the leeches are the blood sucking, critter harming variety, they will latch
on to the liver in no time. You can then fetch them out of the pond with the
string.

BV.

[Ka30P]

Don't panic Bette! ;-)
Most leeches aren't the blood sucking variety.
They eat detritus, slimey bits of this and that.
I've kept them in with an aquatic frog to clean his gravel. Named the leech
Osama bin Leech.

You can test your leech with some raw liver. If he goes of it then you can use
the trick BV mentioned. If they are in the main pond you can put the liver in a
clamshelled strawberry basket to keep the fish from eating the bait.


kathy :-)
algae primer
http://hometown.aol.com/ka30p/myhomepage/garden.html

[Bette E]

Thanks for the idea, I will give this a try after a visit to the grocery
store this aft.. I am somewhat relieved after reading the other posts
about Leeches.

[Bette E]

Thank you for the trick with the liver in a plastic strawberry box, for
the main pond.
I'll just use BenignVs' pc. of string idea in the veggie filter.
These leeches are reddish brown and about an inch or so long. I didn't
get to the store today, but am definitely going to get that liver,
tomorrow.