Hi guys, It's been a busy summer and now we are expecting frost tonight!! Just covered the pond with the leaf net and brought in the tender houseplants. 

 Monday night was our pond club meeting and I thought I'd pass on some of the tips from Jamie Beyer.  Jamie is a good friend and the founder of the Central Iowa Water Garden Association.  He's great at answering all kinds of pond questions his email is beyersbog@... just let him know I sent you.  You can see his whole article at http://www.pondkeepers.com  You have to click on past issues and download the May issue.  Here's the basics of "Water Wolves of the Water Gardens" about minks and other predators. 

I didn't realize that mink are still a big problem in ponds that are near natural waterways. They will travel to your pond where the fish are much easier to catch.  A mink can wipe out your pond in days over the winter. In the summer koi swim faster then a mink but in the cooler weather minks are faster and will climb in the air holes in the pond after the koi.  

Use plastic screen or hardware cloth over your air hole. Use 1x1 inch welded wire with the edges turned under. Using a strong air pump to keep the water moving and allows for a good exchange of gases.  Pond palaces combine a air pump with a tunnel.

Providing a hiding place like koi kastles, plant stands, crates can help. Just make sure what ever you use is large enough for your fish to swim all the way though and not get trapped under it. Sunshine got trapped under a pot this summer which killed her and poisoned the rest of my fish. So be very careful what you use!

Black dye is an emergency measure when dealing with mink or any predators.  Black dye is harmless and fades in just a few days. It doesn't dye anything but the water.  Jamie reccommends it for every pond over 500 gallons. I knew it  was useful in cutting done on algae but didn't think of it helping hide your fish. It allows for your fish to hide while giving you time to get rid of the predator.

 Minks, otters, muskrats and coons should be trapped and killed. It seems hard to kill them but most relocated animals are killed in the wild. They are territorial animals and don't do well being relocated. Or worse your problem becomes someone else's nightmare.  Be sure to connect your local DNR before you trap anything.

Scarecrows which use pluses of water to startle animals work well as do dogs! I have no problems with coons since princess can see the pond from the window and barks at everything.

I'm working on adding the full handout to the site but the pdf program is not cooperating tonight! I'll try to post more later, Gail-Richdeer3 Pond Supplies