How to Collect Dragonflies
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- Опубликовано: 2 июл 2024
- Have you ever wanted to collect a dragonfly for fun or for an insect collection. In this video Jason Thomas shares some tips and techniques that can help you catch dragonflies. He starts by sharing their behavior and then attempts to catch some dragonflies to show to viewers.
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Once saw a dragonfly struggling in the lake. Fished him out, unsure if I was too late to save it because it wasn't moving much. Set him on the dock to dry out hoping it would fly off, but he was still there when I was done fishing. Worried about leaving it so exposed to birds or other critters, I picked it up to move it to a more protected area. It wrapped it's legs around my finger like a giant ring and stayed there for about 20 min while I chatted with my neighbor before finally flying off. I've always liked dragonflies, but after that experience I have a special affinity for them and just love them. Such beautiful creatures and we have them in all colors and sizes at the lake house.
I sometimes see dragonflies flying around in circles in my backyard and always used to think "you guys know you can just fly over the fence right?" But now I realize they were patrolling!
Your face is Minecraft
@@jelenaharju9990 loser nerd idiot
@@duv1544 what is with minecraft
@@Jabbys a video game
Stupididiot🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Don't do what I did once and grab a big one by the tail. He curled around and gave my fingertip a good chomp and man did it hurt.
nice! Yeah, but there are other insects that can be even more painful.
Yeah I was glad it wasn't worse. I think the shock of it made it seem worse than it really was. Certainly wasn't as painful as a wasp sting.
ha ha yeah!
*>Being this liar*
@@urielbritneybitch what do you mean?
As far as biology goes, I primarily study ornithology, but, as I am fascinated by all forms of life, I find your videos to be very interesting. Please continue to upload these types of videos.
*I share all kinds of creature friends. I let them come to me. 😁😁😁* Sharon in SC
when i was young i was able to catch lots of them, by grabbing them by the tail, i was catching about 30 something dragonflies a day.
i was surprise to find out, that now i cant catch any i spent about an hour trying to catch something, but nothing i must have gotten slower or something
but its very shocking to me i dont know why, i didnt need a net back then but not that is the only way to catch them, by using a net.
and btw im only doing this to revisit re-live my childhood and nostalgia.
Same me also, when I was kid I also catch them by tail, but big ones turn and bite if we catch by tail
Really appreciate this advice on hunting dragonflies! Thank you, Jason.
You are welcome!
Great Episode as usual, i love dragonflies
Thanks! Yeah they are quite awesome!
@@InsectHunter I agree
When I was young
I used to catch different types of Dragonfly with my hand!
I remember catching these when i was 7 barehanded.
You just need to move slowly behind it and grab it by it's tail and hold them by the wings.
(Note that you don't need to be quick when you try catching them. Being "quick" may result on scaring or damaging them)
thanks for sharing your experience!
Same m8
Yep I just caught them with a simple jar. I had probably more than 6. The jar wasn't too small. At least I think so... I was a weird kid. I also caught lizards. Still a kid being 16... So yep....
@@instaedits2897 Your as weird as the OP, and I have no clue how I ended up here, watching people catch insects and then letting them go for no reason
@@FleshBash You're* but... You know...
great episode as usual,i love dargonflies
I used to have dragonfly's that i guess trusted me to some extent. Because i was able to stand still and get them to land on my hand.
It got to a point where they would let me walk around with them.
Then some of the neighborhood kids threw their shoes at them and i haven't gotten it to work since.
Are they intelligent? Because sometimes it seems like it.
I don’t know I have never heard of such interactions with humans.
Last summer there was a large bumble bee I found twice crawling through wet grass on our lawn. It was pretty wet so I scooped it up in my hand and it walked to my wrist which I guess was the warmest part and began grooming. This went on for about 10 minutes as it warmed and dried. Then it buzzed it's wing muscles a few times so I walked back outside and after a few more wing buzzes it was warm enough and dry enough to fly away. I read later they need to be at 30 degrees internal temperature before they can fly. Fascinating creatures and pretty docile. I've had a dragonfly land on my hand once for a few seconds and rotate its head back and forth before resuming the hunt.
It seems the neighborhood kids aren't intelligent
Not uncommon. I used to have dragonflies and butterflies both land on me and chill out. It takes a lot of patience. I used to sit by my hummingbird feeder and have them come check me out and land on me. I think everything has intelligence to a degree. They are finding out that plants communicate.
*I make friends with them. I take pictures & share videos. They're the best. 😁😁😁* Sharon in SC
The way you caught that dragonfly in the net was very impressive sir! You're very handsome as well. I enjoyed your video very much it was informational and extremely interesting to me, thank you for creating this content.
When I was little I went swimming in a lake
A "two headed dragon fly" kept landing on my noodle or my head while I was screaming "two headed dragonfly!" As soon I grew up I later found out that they were just mating lol
ha ha that is funny. Yeah mating dragonflies are kind of awkward at flying around. Its very common to catch two at once. Two for one :)
Thanks for this, very interesting. Used to have a pond close by & my cats regularly caught Hawkers in their mouths, them rattling away, until I could free them. Now that I'm no longer in the UK, by in France, I have a desire to construct my own larger pond & have them keep the mossies down.
Excellent episode I really enjoyed it!
Also: you are not holding it the right way. You allways grab a dragonfly by the wings. You just squished his body. The wings are not sensitive!
Yes I was made aware by other insect hunters about this! Thanks! Next time I will hold it the proper way.
Yes
IH good lord you just squished those babies
The problem is that dragonflies rest their wings horizontally. You must be talking about damselflies, which look very similar, but rest their wings vertically.
Anna Reilly, wrong* and she was right
I used to be a pro dragonflies catcher using my bare finger. I walk silently then catch its tail then hold it by its wings. I grew up in the Philippines btw so lots of dragonflies there
I recently grabbed one in a blanket that had gotten trapped in my enclosed porch. It was SO nice to see it fly away!
💖🙏💞
You look exactly how I imagined you.
ha ha not sure whether to interpret that as good or bad, but thanks for taking the time to comment.
You look more lovely than i think
It good to be nice to insects
Thanks for the vid buddy
Great video!
Thanks!
It was adorable when he bit you 😂
this obviously fake the dragonfly was a paid actor 😤😤😤😤 lol
(im jking i luv ur vids)
Thanks Wigga. He was paid with a back massage, but he didn’t really appreciate it.
throw gravel up in the air and they will attack the gravel!
really? I was not aware.
JOD is your profile pic wobbuffet
Same with carpenter bees! I love catching the males
Iv done that with bats.
@@splitshot71 What? You throw Bats in the air and they chase them. How big are they?
About 4 years ago I had a metallic green dragonfly land on the tip of my finger, while I was out in the garden, there were two flying around, both metallic the green one that landed on my finger,, and a deep purple blue type one he flew in to the next door neighbours garden, the year after that it had rained the night before, and in the morning I noticed, another metallic one this time a gold colored one resting on the rose bush, I went up very slowly to get a closer look,, but alas he knew. I was getting too close,, and flew away,, he was studded with dew droplet's all over his body and looked like jewels or diamonds shinning in the sunlight, so very beautiful,, both times,, was an experience I'll never forget, it was totally AWESOME, There beautiful creatures,. Loved the video🌹💐👍👍👍👍
Amazing.
Such a beautiful dragonfly
Yes they are magnificent.
Sometimes dragonflies will land on my life vest while kayaking on my pond, by the way, I only tried it once and it had some damaged wings, but not a lot, but just a little bit, that one that I caught was a Ruby Meadowhawk. you also caught a eastern pondhawk, which was the second one you caught.
There are dragon flys in my school in the grass thanks for the advice now me and my friends could catch one in my elementary school
Sounds great thanks for watching! Good luck collecting!
Can you make a video about the different types/ species of Dragonflies found in the US or Texas and how to identify them?
One day I may do so if enough people want it!
Thanks for interesting Video! Good luck! Best greetings from entomologist in Ukraine! :)
Thanks Victor! Good to know there are folks like me all of over the world interested in insects! :)
Dope video
Used to catch (and release) baby dragon flies by pinching them when I was a kid. Miss those days.....
thanks iv had this dragon fly for 8 months thanks
I used to catch these as a kid every time I would go on holiday just with my hands lol
Cool video
Thanks!
Your welcome!
When in the year is the transformation happening? I really want to film it when it happens. Any good advice on how I can come? Thanks in advance.
There’s a park with a pond nearby me that I go for insect hunting and particularly dragonfly hunting. Wish I had seen this much earlier but good to know my self taught technique is pretty good. I have one of those nice orange “scaly” ones in my collection!
That's incredibly shitty.
In elementary school I catched a dragon fly with my bare hands.
Very nice and cool!
@@InsectHunter thanks
I have a dragonfly in my garden but decided to leave it alone. It lets me go near him so i took some pictures, it is so beautiful.
awesome! Yeah I think dragonflies are so cool to look at.
*Yes.... Pictures & videos to share with others I get. 😁😁😁* Sharon in SC
So cute dragon
What is the mouth part type in dragonflies?
When I was a kid ,I do catching dragon flies 😄
Old memories..
Yes somehow we would catch them by hand, no big nets needed 😂
Here in central Alberta we get huge swarms of them, even in the city. There too high up to catch them though.
Thanks. I have a pond with some really big ones by my house that I've been trying to catch.
Good luck! Let me know how it goes.
Insect Hunter when I catch those they fly fast and they were hard to catch
Yeah I would try to wait and see if they land. Trying to catch them while flying is quite difficult and only works occasionally even for me. Best of luck with the collecting!
Me at 7 year old whenever i see a blue dragon fly; guys look a dragonfly cop!
Very nice ☺️
Yes dragonflies are cool!
Hello! I just have a question, if thats okay. What is the best way to handle dragonflies once they are captured? Most of what I have read says to fold all 4 wings up behind it's back and hold onto the wings to stop it from trying to fly which might cause damage. In this video I see you are holding it behind the wings and avoiding contact with the wings entirely. Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer in regards to handling! :)
First off, I know quite a bit about collecting, but I am still learning as I go because insects are so diverse and there are so many different types to know everything about all of them. I enjoy questions like this to help me learn to become an even better collector. To help answer your question, I just read some good articles that seem to confirm what you are saying. The only problem I have with holding them by the wings is that you have the potential of damaging their wings if you are not very gentle. If you fold them the wrong way or with too much pressure they could break which would ruin your specimen and even if released kill the dragonfly. Yes holding the dragonfly in another place could cause them to struggle and harm themselves, but I have not felt comfortable handling the wings because I know they are fragile. My rule has been up to this point, "Don't mess with or touch the wings." They are just one of the most fragile and essential parts of the insects body. With butterflies touching the wings rubs off scales and causes other issues. Harmed wings can make identification hard and getting them back in their natural position once broken or bent is nearly impossible. Perhaps if I am more careful and cautious about handling the wings of dragonflies I will give it a try next time using the method you just shared with me. Thanks for sharing that question so we can all learn together! Next time I see a dragonfly I will try to do it this way. If it seems to work and isn't harming the wings I will let you know Ashley!
I have nearly 50 years of experience in collecting dragonflies and damselflies and have always grasped them by the wings. Their wings are amazingly tough. Care does need to be taken to not bend the wings which could break the veins, especially bad if veins along the leading edge are broken. I've damaged very few wings of the 10's of thousand I've caught. The exoskeleton of the thorax and abdomen is much more fragile than the wings and more likely to be damaged during handling. I would recommend practicing how to hold the wings.
Thanks for the advice Steve. Glad to hear from someone with so much experience. Next time I get one I will handle it the way you recommended. Glad to always learn from a fellow insect hunter!
No offense, but I do wish you'd remove your above video and put in another one showing the proper way to hold dragonflies. As Steve above said, the only correct way to hold them is by the wings. The thorax and abdomen can be very easily damaged. Please do consider removing the video, for the sake of dragonflies!
Bala Chandran next time I catch one I will show how to properly handle them according to the information from folks.
Today I saw a dragonfly in my school everyone screamed but not me lol
Awesome! Hopefully the channel is helping you see insects in a new light!
I call them mosquito eaters. They are more voracious during their larvae stage. My favorite insect along with the Praying Mantis & Ladybug.
I wish an adult dragon fly is an actual dragon.
This channel is pretty interesting
glad you found it!
Thats why it chased a butterfly after not movin alot also i just put my hand out and it flys on my hand :^
*Awwwww I'm hoping mine will land On me. 😁😁😁* Sharon in SC
Is there anyway I can help increase the dragonfly population by my house? mosquitoes are getting a little out of hand
In the Phillipines where i live used to be alot dragonflies since there were streets build, no more. We got red blue and hreen dragonflies i love them
Yes they are quite awesome!
@@InsectHunter sorry for my bad english i randomly type fast without checking if i wrote it good
Nice video 😘🤗😍
Thanks! Glad you liked it.
One hit my window and it sounded like a bird I was amazed and let it fly away but next time it will become art
Good things come to those who wade! Other dragonfly behaviors include mating on the wing (a valid time to catch them) & laying eggs. First one is a darner of some sort. The 2 ways to handle them that I've been taught: 1) Fold their wings gently and hold them together, they survived 300 million years of evolution b/c they're that tough, so if you're careful this is a valid way to handle them; 2) By their legs. Both allow for multiple photographic angles so you can ID them later using field guides and upload to iNaturalist where your catch will be ID'd further and be recorded as a data point. Looks like the 2d is a Halloween Pennant ....
Thanks for sharing the information. I am aware that I was probably not handling them in the best way possible. I plan on making another video about how to handle them in the near future. Identification is not my thing especially when it comes to wing venation. My favorite thing is the adventure of collecting and seeing what you can find.
Humans and many other animals see things in combinations of three primary colors: red, green, and blue (trichromatic vision). The dragonfly sees the world through up to 30 “primary” colors!
I need to find and catch one or two as "pets" for the purpose of combatting my house mosquitos (infestation). Any tips??
Indra Oge I think it would be really hard for them to survive in your house. I have never heard of dragonflies being used exactly this way. An interesting idea, but I don’t know if you could make it work.
The Collected one , Now it's not willing to leave😂
*Awwwww I love my visitors. 😁😁😁* Sharon in SC
plz don't hurt that amazing animal he's so cute
I never intentionally hurt beneficial insects like dragon flies. I almost always let them go back unless I am doing some research or a collection for a class.
Are you actually kidding me? DRAGON FLIES ARE NOT CUTE. THEY CAN BITE.
roman matecki 😂 so can dogs, cats and literally anything with mouths, beaks, teeth etc 😆
@@romanmatecki1718 they are cute
Cute? Right...
when i was younger i lived on the outskirts of a big city
i used to see dragon flies all the time and was kinda scared of the tail thinking they could sting
the city started to grow even larger and the dragon flies seemed to disappear
weird how things change and the small things are forgotten until you see a video on youtube
yeah most people ignore insects or don't notice the interesting things they do.
We collect like holding the wings of the dragonfly
I have green dragon fly..I like it
I saw a dragonfly was laying on the bike lane while biking and he look dehydrated i only put him back on the grass only
Back in my day in philippines, it was more like primitive, sneaking behind it, and grabbing its tail or wings. I was 6 years old I believe
You must have had alot of patience or free on your hands haha.
Theres a really big dragonfly stuck in my lanai.... its about to storm. im worried
I dont care about bug catching at all, but this was still an entertaining vid.
glad you still liked it. Insects are more fascinating than most people think.
Is this good for damselflies too?
Yes
Why do u need net when u can grab them by hand
I collect dragonflies sometimes in my house
Hey man, very cool video! Would you be keen on selling me some of those Halloween pennants? Let me know.
I am sorry I am not sure which Halloween penants you are referring to. Please clarify. Maybe you got me confused with someone else.
Bruh this is so nostalgic😂 i use to catch dragon flies and put strings on there tails and il just follow where they are going after that il remove the string fun fact better to wait the dragon fly and shape your hands like an open mouth and boom make sure your not doing it hard it may kill the dragon fly
Can u show how to raise one? I found a injured one on the road and idk what to do
If it is an adult and unable to fly then its chances of survival are very low.
Well i dont think you cant, its hard to do surgery to an insect
i catch them at abdomen so they won't curl on me and bite me (it hurts)
I rescued a darter dragonfly it wouldn't flee even after being rescued and it didn't bit me. 😍😍
Haven't they got the most sensitive eyes in nature with a very wide light spectrum sensitivity?
I am not sure of that. I will have to look into that.
I actually catch a rare ones. It's pink with a pink wings. And I saw it eating a fly.
And I hold him at its wings
Where did you get your net?
Lindsey Maul the one I used here from bioquip.
Yeah my one was and it was cute so yeah 😍
Also do they like music cuz I have a bad feeling about my friends shouting in my room so that's why
*I sang to one tonight & it didn't leave. 😁😁😁* Sharon in SC
Whoa its like animal crossing
kind of I guess. Is there a bunch of insect collecting in the game? I thought it was mostly farming.
How do you keep them from killing honeybees???
From my research I have never heard of them feeding heavily on honey bees. They are typically found near rivers and bodies of water which is not always close to flowers.
I use to catch it with my bare hands n once I catch it I tie a thread on it’s tail n let fly 🤣🤣🤣
Why is one going going around my Front yard??its circling it please tell me how!!!
It may be patrolling the area looking for bugs depending on the insect traffic of your front yard. I don't know for sure, but that is my guess.
I didn't know they bite. I love dragon flies they come out in the evening and scare off green heads in the salt marshes where I live. They hunt the hell out of green heads
Sorry to ask, but what are green heads? Sometimes common insect names can be tricky depending on the area you live in. Yeah they are impressive hunters!
i used to catch roly polys in school or my backyard but in 3rd grade(thats right now) theyre just gone? what happened and fun fact my first favorite insects are caterpillars so can you do that one
yeah caterpillars are pretty awesome. I wonder why you can't find the rolly polly's any more. I am thinking of doing a caterpillar video.
Oh my gosh i never got an reply from a youtuber and i will tell you the next insect you can make
haha! I always try to respond to comments as best as I can. Maybe when the channel gets too big I won't be able to, but for now I am happy to reply.
Can you subscribe to me or no but your channel is cool 😎 also I never subscribed but I just did so you have an new subscriber
These bug videos make me itchy
Olivia Michel oh they are not that bad!
I love bugs! They’re so fascinating.
I do that too
awesome yeah dragonflies rock!
Help me this thing is in my house and it is making weird noises
Open a window. Or get a jar and capture it and release out side if you can.
I used to collect this dragonfly when I'm small. Master with it with my brothers. We used the rice bag coz its big. Once this insect stuck into our rice bag. We take it out by touching the wings lol
nice yeah you can watch this other video to see how to handle them the proper way. ruclips.net/video/IXC4oHkbtyk/видео.html&t
lol I used to hit them with water bottles to stun them. That was so messed up
I used to catch many of them with barehands since i was child
that's great. I used to do it that way before I learned about all the cool tools you can use.
scale 1-10 pain level ... how bad does it hurt (bite)? thanks
2 maybe pain similar to being pinched by a small child I would say.
@@InsectHunter thank u 👍
amatures!, i used to catch them from the wing with my hand (non got hurt)
no, really im not joking people do it all the time in some countries
you just patiently approach them while they're landed, chances are they'll go air borne to inspect you for a moment and then land right back where they were prior at which point you can just gently pinch their wings together and pick them up
*I just appreciate their visit & they fly off when they want. Tonight's friend stayed until it went to bed. 😁😁😁* Sharon in SC
How weird, I use to catch dragon flies with only hands. I was kinda messed up when I was a kid, I kept one as a pet and stored it inna jar. Didn't last well.
Some occasions my cousins and I would put dragonflies to duals and they would decapitate each other
An entomologist I had the chance of learning from gave me this useful tip: if you want to take a nice photo of a dragonfly with his wings in a resting position, without the risk of it flying away too soon, it is perfectly safe to hold it by the wings close to the base and kinda wave your hand around in a circular motion a bit to make it dizzy. That way, once you put it down on a surface, it will take a few moments to gain orientation before it flies away. Not sure if you knew this, thought it would be useful. Great work!!
awesome thanks! Yeah I did another video on how to handle them properly after some helpful comments from members of the community. Here it is. ruclips.net/video/IXC4oHkbtyk/видео.html
I found one that was laying on ground and i picked it up
Nice that doesn't occur too often.
I got the same today. I put the animal in a bush, as he was in water and in torpor.