Notonecta Glauca as food

[felizycontento]

I have my pond filled with small notonecta glauca.

I am removing them from there because I don't want them to hunt perezzi tapdoles when they grow up.

I wonder if I could use them as food for my newts. I know they are predators when they grow up, but now that they are tiny.....

Have anyone try?

 

[eyrops]

Interesting photograph - Is a small one being eaten by a big one here? I have not used notonectids as food for anything, but I have been bitten by an adult. That was painful enough to make me drop it right away. I'm thinking that even a small one might be able to bite a newt that grabbed it. I don't know for sure, but it seems risky to me. Wikipedia has interesting entries for the insect families Notonectidae (backswimmers)and Corixidae (water boatmen). It would be my guess that the water boatmen would prove to be a less hazardous possible food. It does note that these are eaten bythe Rough-skinned Newt, Taricha granulosa.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Notonecta_glauca

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_boatman

-Steve Morse

 

[fishkeeper]

Yeah...getting bitten(more appropriately it is getting stabbed, and they seem to do so freely) is surprisingly painful. I'm curious how it'd affect a newt. I'd imagine at the least it'd cause some local swelling and discomfort. I suppose if they are that abundant you could freeze them or cut off their heads prior to feeding.

They also make neat pets in and of themselves.

I've never been stung by a bee or anything...but have terrible luck with true bugs. Stabbed by creeping water bug, close call with a giant water bug, and I must be the only person out their who's ever taken one from a water strider!