Dragonflies – expert fliers, ‘biopesticides’ rekindle and shape new memories in Hyderabad

Old memories are rekindled and some new ones are formed as people in Hyderabad have been witnessing swarms of dragonflies near few water bodies, thick vegetation and other places in some parts of the city. Earlier widespread, now limited to some pockets, the sight of these expert fliers made people stop for a few seconds to catch a glimpse of the swarms. These include Globe Skimmers — which migrate from East Africa to India, including to Telangana. The swarms are typically seen during monsoon. 

Besides the ability to hover, fly backward or upside down, other details of the winged wonders make people take notice. They are predators, tireless pest controllers which prey on mosquitoes and other insects. Their aquatic nymphs devour mosquito larvae, while adults mid-air feast on mosquitoes and midges. By reducing mosquito populations naturally, they are an eco-friendly ‘biopesticides’ — protecting human health without chemicals or sprays, said S M Akbar Sharief, senior education officer, World Wildlife Fund (Hyderabad) and Chitra Shanker, Principal Scientist, ICAR- Indian Institute of Rice Research, who monitored dragonfly population near Neknapur lake and few parts of the city with a team.

Ms. Chitra Shanker said that dragonflies spend most of their lives underwater as nymphs, breathing dissolved oxygen and feeding on other aquatic creatures. Because they cannot survive in polluted or oxygen-poor water, their presence is a direct indicator of clean, healthy wetlands. Scientists call them bioindicators — natural monitors that tell when our ecosystems are thriving or in trouble.

They have flagged concerns over the shrinking, polluted water bodies in the city which directly impacts dragonfly diversity. Construction debris, shrinking lakes and polluted drains have robbed dragonflies of their breeding grounds. Once common after every monsoon, large swarms are now rare. 

 Some species continue to persist in the State’s remaining clean-water pockets are Green Marsh Hawk (Orthetrum sabina); Ground Skimmer (Diplacodes trivialis); Ditch Jewel (Brachythemis contaminata) and Globe Skimmer (Pantala flavescens).