Posted on January 14, 2011 by Frans
What are those red worms in your water tank?
They are called Bloodworms. Bloodworms are one stage in the life cycle of the non-biting Midge fly. The red colour comes from haemoglobin in the Midge fly’s blood and has no reference to any blood sucking activity. They are herbivorous and feed on algae and other plants or waste material – therefore harmless to you or your animals.
Many fish keepers buy bloodworms as a protein rich food for their fish.
The non-biting Midge looks like a mosquito, but doesn’t bite. Midges live near water and are found in streams, rivers, ditches, lakes and ponds – and of course your water tank. The midge develops in a life cycle that includes four stages: egg, larvae (bloodworm), pupae and adult. The larvae stadia last between 2 to 7 weeks.
The best cure is prevention. Water Rhapsody always ensures that your rainwater harvesting system is a closed system and does not allow any entry for water based breeding insect. We make use of Rain Runners to first sift the water from the gutters before diverting it to the tank. We only make use of the existing outlet/inlet to the tank – no holes are gut into the tank and it therefore remains sealed to insects and sunlight.
Also make sure you do not have a light source close to the water tank as this attracts the adults and invites them to lay their eggs in your tank. Avoid the use of unnecessary lights until 45 minutes after sundown since 90 percent or more of flight activity takes place before that time.
For mosquito infestation we introduce the bacteria Bacillus thuringiensis subsp israelensis to the water. This bacterium is harmless to humans and animals and only feeds on the larvae of the mosquito. This however does not work for the Midge fly larvae.
If you need any help to take preventative measures to prevent future infestations, do not hesitate to give us a call.
http://www.watersafe.co.za/2011/01/14/red-worms-in-your-water-tank/
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