Streetlife

I know you've checked but it still sounds like a Dragonfly larva to me.  I remember when I raised a lily leaf and saw my first one on the underside, I leapt back in horror.  I would just leave it because it's Nature innit?

Can you figure out how to post a pic?

Any of these?  http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/index.html?http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/pond/insects.html

What a great site Caroline!   I've saved it for future reference.  Our pond is awaiting a new liner - in the meantime we have to keep topping it up (with buckets) to keep the tadpoles and newts mobile.

Thanks Caroline - good site, but my beast not listed so will look further re Dragons. I do know how to post a pic - its the taking that I have to get someone else to do. So will do if still a mystery

Simon, my pond springs leaks too.  I just lower the water level, pull up the liner to see where it is wet at the back and then use puncture repair patches  I've got newts in my little ponds: an active little 40 or 50 strong colony, nearly 10 years old now (from 6 imported from a friend's place in Dorset), of which I am mightily proud!

OK found them - they are the larvae of the predacious diving beetle 'water tiger' - so will eat tadpoles etc. Therefore cannot populate my pond with tadpoles until I  get rid of them.  Im not taiking about a population of few - I have thousands in ye old bath tub.

That sounds brilliant Caroline.  I have checked all over for leaks and not found any.  The supplier honoured the guarantee and sent new liner - but as it has decking surrounding it and a bog 'garden' so there is a lot of work to do before getting at the liner to remove it.  Until now the weather hasn't been conducive - and now it's too hot and what about the newts (6) and tadpoles (1,000,000!)?  

I'm also far too good at procrastinating!

Sylvia, glad you have identified the larvae - you are probably the Tooting pond expert now!

On the bright side, Sylvia, Wikipedia says they are edible!

Any chance that some of Simon F's tadpoles could move house to mine?  I used to have a thriving population of frogs, and thoroughly enjoyed them popping up everywhere (slightly less amongst the weeding), but the population weakened as the pond became more alkaline (all that fish pee) and then succumbed to the red leg virus outbreak.  I've cleaned out an re-established the ecology since then.  Some will hopefully survive the fish!

Sylvia, if by "water tiger" you mean one of the Dytiscid family, you are probably mistaken. These would be larger than you described, and very unlikely to be in thousands. If you would like a positive identification, please PM me, and I will take a look at them for you.

Urbangardner - sent you a private message

I identified by looking at numerous pictures of larvae - and could well be mistaken - it was the only description that looked like my bugs. Anyway thanks Dennis F but i have cleared out most of them as have had to move a lot of my pond bits and pieces.