Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Dragonflies and Tomatoes

All spring and summer I observed dragonfly interest in my tomato patch. I knew they were insect predators, so was happy to see that they liked to land on the tomato stakes and sit and watch, but I wondered how helpful they could be. My thought was that they mainly ate mosquitos and such, so likely won't make a dent in the larger insects that destroy tomatoes. Today I found out I was wrong.

First I found a large brown grasshopper that was on a tomato leaf, but was dead, and looked very freshly killed. Then I found on the other end of the patch another grasshopper that was alive, but had a dragonfly on it using its legs to pin it against a tomato stake, and was in the process of eating it alive.

Well, much gratitude to the dragonflies, because now I know they kill and eat bugs, even the big ones, that would enjoy eating tomatoes.

good to know.

Cool photos.

I do believe that second photo is a robber fly.

Dragonflies cannot fold their wings along their back.

Also, dragonflies methodically chew their prey, robber flies have sharp sucking mouthparts that they stick into their prey.

Okay. Thanks. I thought it was odd to see the wings folded. Never knew there was such a thing as a robber fly till you mentioned it. Well, thanks to the robber flies, then. They share anatomical similarities with dragonflies.

Watching insects gives us insight into foreign and alien behavior. Last September my wife and I were outside working around the yard and garden while the flying ants were out thick. Laughing at the chickens jumping and running down one of their favorite snacks is always good for a water break and a laugh. I noticed a flying ant ran into a garden spiders web and got a little stuck when suddenly a small garden spider pounced from hiding and threw 2 loops of silk around the ant. That flying ant was at least 4-5 times the size and weight of the tiny predator but it didn’t deter the spider. Once the 2 loops of silk had the ants destiny sealed the spider went to work methodically. It further secured the spider by wrapping the wings and controlling its ability to move through additional wraps of silk. Finally the spider was happy with his restraints and bit the ant. It appeared to me that the spider paralyzed the ant first and then started sucking the life out of it. I went back a couple hours later and the ant was a hollow exoskeleton that was wrapped like a mummy. The whole ordeal was maybe 5 minutes from start to finish but it was really interesting to observe. The size difference was what amazed me. It was akin to a man throwing a couple lashes around a bull elephant or boar brown bear and controlling it until we climbed on and started eating it alive. Nature is the most interesting show anywhere.

TRH…. Thanks for relaying your experience. I didn’t know that a dragonfly would eat a grasshopper but nothing in nature really surprises me anymore. Your tomatoes get full service attention from you so it’s no wonder why they produce their fruit in copious amounts for their caregiver. 👍

Thanks. Yeah, I carefully inspect them every day, but often miss some real nasty pests. For example these three ruined tomatoes, with the culprits still halfway inside two of them. Two of them have fat fruit worms halfway into them.

Pisses me off.

My problem in the garden in 2022 is deer and rabbits.

TRH,

I need a dragon fly deflector, for my truck !

The insect world is full of surprises!

Liquid Sevin will take care of those worms. Otherwise they will get all of your tomatoes.

I put out leftovers for my poach toads, have several they learned to sit there and wait for flys.

Dragon flies are cool, they also make damn good fish bait.

Always glad to see the Dragonflies patrolling my Pepper patch...

What do you do to control those worms?

I wonder if BT (thuricide) would work. I use it on my broccoli and cabbage plants....

BT will work … eventually. The problem is that they keep eating till they die.

TRH, Just wait until the voles and raccons start taking bites from ripened fruits.

We have to get our sweet corn planted early. If we have not harvested it before the little raccoons begin foraging, momma raccon will lead the entire litter into the garden and strip the ears from the stalks.

And then we had the golden retriever who had a real fondness for cantaloupes.

How do you catch them.

Fish them like a dry fly?