Which lakes have leeches

This measure is effective but it will also kill other forms of aquatic life that burrow in the mud. This method would not be allowed on State owned bodies of water because of the impact on other aquatic life.

Since leeches prefer the shallow areas of lakes, swimming in deeper waters will reduce the risk of a leech attaching to a swimmer. A boat or float can be used to get to the deeper water or a person can swim out to the deeper waters. Leeches are important in the food web of a lake. They are predators, prey, parasites and vectors of parasites.

The leeches of North America are not nearly as serious a pest as tropical leeches. Cooler Pond has beautiful ones.. However the teenage gals in canoe class there were not amused. Do leeches head south for the winter? Seriously, has anyone caught one in the winter? They don't get around much in the winter as they are not icebreakers.

I assume they head for the bottom and hide in the muck as do many pond animals. I have had them from time to time, only ever small ones though, no more than an inch or two long. I got three at once in in the Moose River just below McKeever, and other times I have gotten one or two on my feet. I just yank them off by hand, probably not correct but I don't carry salt or bug spray or matches so my options are limited. I have only gotten them in flowing water, and usually the water in question was moving fairly briskly.

I would be interested to see them swimming sometime, it sounds like it can be quite a spectacle. I will watch next summer and see if I can spot any in still water where they would be easier to see. When the kids were little we would slide down the upper falls at Bog River Falls.

The water is pretty quick there I borrowed a lit cigarette to bail us out!! Once at G Lake, we saw countless newts swimming with leeches attached.

I've seen leeches in all sorts of water, crystal clear fast moving, seemingly sterile stillwater, and as expected, the muckiest slop. Tough little guys, at least they don't swim too fast! Zach, just dangle your feet in the water and watch the little critters swim right up. My son and I were camping on St Regis pond, tied the canoe up , unloaded, about 15 min.

I don't think JD will ever swim in that pond again.. John M. Of course they do. The primary migration route is SSW. This is traditional and normal and nothing to fear too much about. Once when taking out after a paddle on the Chubb, we found 3 leaches on the only blue canoe-none on any of the others. Blue is their fifth favorite color. Most leeches are attracted to Green or Gold. Others toward Silver, unless you got Platinum.

Flesh is best. This has been a most entertaining thread! I believe the head of the leech is not the end that attaches to its host. If using them for bait, you are supposed to hook them through the sucker and they attempt to swim away from the hook, adding to the action. There are numerous You Tube videos explaining how to catch them if you ever wish to use them as bait.

I haven't as yet, but am tempted to give them a try in a few bodies of water that I believe hold large fish, yet I can't seem to catch any the list is endless. Has anyone ever caught a fish with one attached? Eagle Crag.. I always thought leeches were sucker end attachers.. If there was a leech orgy at my house certainly the mice and rats would have taken notice. The only leech's I notice are the contractors constantly overcharging me for working on the house, but I will look closer now.

Canoe: I noticed this statement in the article you referenced: "The ancient Indians used leeches to treat a wide range of conditions including headaches, ear infections and hemorrhoids. Might partially explain why leeches are more common in some waters than in others: Canadian Journal of Zoology, , 69 1 : , And--though not a good comparison to Adirondacks lakes--in the farm pond on my land, when the stocked trout population is low, leech population goes up, whereas leech population is very low when trout population is moderate to high.

Glen lies. He has thousands of leeches mating in his pool at this very moment. Here are a few he interrupted. Might partially explain why leeches are more common in some waters than in others: And--though not a good comparison to Adirondacks lakes--in the farm pond on my land, when the stocked trout population is low, leech population goes up, whereas leech population is very low when trout population is moderate to high.

Those leeches need protection! I wonder about that Sudbury study. If any of you have been there you would be struck by the damage caused by acidity in the air. Sudbury from the time I first visited in till the s looked like the moon. A wide variety of organisms can host parasitic leeches such as frogs, fish, birds, turtles. When leeches affix to a host they first do so with a suction cup located at their rear end. They explore with their head, seeking a place of thin skin or preexisting abrasion where they can cut into the flesh.

A second suction cup around their mouth then attaches and they make a quick incision with three teeth, leaving a y-shaped mark. In addition to the anti-coagulant, they also inject an anesthetic that makes the cut painless. They can feed until they have taken in up to five times their body weight and then they detach on their own. Once sated, a leech may not need to feed again for a long time; captive specimens have gone two years without eating. The bite of a leech is harmless unless it gets infected, but if the thought of letting a leech have its fill is too uncomfortable, they can be detached by sliding a knife, fingernail, credit card or other thin object between the animal and the cut.

Other folk remedies like fire, salt, or insecticides can cause the leech to vomit and drastically increase what would otherwise be a very low risk of infection. LCC uses science-based advocacy, education, and collaborative action to protect and restore water quality, safeguard natural habitats, foster stewardship, and ensure recreational access.

They are annelids segmented worms , and can be found in most fresh water ponds and lakes. They are hermaphrodites, like most annelids. The first six segments make up the oral sucker, which is used to attach to a host for feeding. Although some leeches consume small insects and larvae whole, this species is mainly a hematophage, meaning that it feeds on blood.

The hematophagic leeches feed on invertebrates, fish, frogs, and, notably in the Mountain Lake pond, snapping turtles. Snapping turtles have been found here with more than eight leeches attached to them. They also feed on warm-blooded creatures when the opportunity arises.