These are Bloodworms. They are Midge Fly larva and are very nutritious for your fish. They are actually cultured and sold either live or freeze dried for use in tropical fish culture. The Midge Fly most commonly found around garden ponds is 1/4-1/2 inch long depending whether it is male or female with the male being the largest. They like clean water. These flies lay their eggs on the surface of your pond. The eggs get sucked into your filter where they are trapped in the filter media and hatch. You can also find them in planting media/soil if they get caught there before the pump can suck them up. If you find these creatures in your filter media, harvest them, and feed them to your fish. You can also freeze them and feed them to your fish later. They would make an excellent spring food. Even though they are high in protein, they are also highly digestible.

Picture of Midge Flies and Larva

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Last modified on Tuesday February 15, 2000