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• Rescue your creatures
– and put them
in the shade. Transfer plants and animals
into buckets or tanks, making sure there is
somewhere where amphibians can rest
and climb out (or they can drown). Add
the remaining pond water, so you can
build up a good zooplankton population
to help prevent algal blooms. If you have
to fill the buckets with tap water, sieve out
the creatures and plants when you return
then to the pond (in a normal plastic
kitchen sieve).
• Add a little tap water
– you could add
the minimal amount of tap water to keep
the pond going.
I’VE GOT TO DRAIN
MY GARDEN POND –
HOW CAN I SAVE THE
WILDLIFE?
If the pond needs to be completely
drained, you can do a couple of things
to help the existing inhabitants.
1. Let animals fly off.
Most adult
water beetles and water bugs (like
backswimmers) can fly. So, if you first draw
the pond down to a very low level (more or
less damp mud), and leave the pond for
a day, many animals will fly-off to find new
homes, especially on a warm day.
2. Provide temporary accommodation.
Save plants and pond animals in
temporary mini ponds. Fill the containers
with the pond water, and make sure that
there are plenty of aquatic plants, so the
animals can find shelter and food when
you transfer them.
The plants may also have eggs attached,
since many animals including damselflies,
lay their eggs on and in plants.
Adult amphibians can be removed and
placed in a dark, damp area in your
garden (such as a log pile).
Note: If you have Great Crested Newts in
your pond then legally you are not allowed
to move them, or change their habitat,
without a license.
3. For creatures that can’t leave, when is
the best time of year to drain my pond?
There’s no best time of year to drain a
pond, as animals at different life-cycle
stages are in there all year round and,
whenever you do it, some will suffer.
However, if you’ve got a species protected
under law, like the Great Crested Newt, you
should avoid draining the pond whilst they
are present.
• Late summer is a good time to drain
ponds for water beetles and bugs,
because the adults can easily fly away
in warm weather.
• Autumn is often the best time to drain a
pond with amphibians, since most young
will have emerged from the pond.
• If you have fish, avoid draining ponds
in warmer summer months when oxygen
levels in the water will be lower and they
will be more susceptible to stress from
handling.