Float Water A Good Home For Waterfleas

 LEXINGTON, KY.
    Waterfleas or Daphnia are tiny crustaceans that naturally live in puddles and other standing water. They feed on small particles that float in water, including decaying organic matter and algae. Daphnia reproduce asexually so they can multiply rapidly in warm water with an abundant food supply. They tolerate poor water quality and low dissolved oxygen content. Couple that with a life cycle that may take only 6 to 10 days and you have a creature that is ideally suited to use a short-lived water puddle. In a stable float bed with plenty of food, very large populations can develop. There are no registered controls but the potential for injury should be limited to some nibbling on roots that growth through the holes in the bottom of tray cells. Δ
 DR. LEE TOWNSEND: Entomologist, University of Kentucky
Figure 3. Daphnia (http://cfb.unh.edu/cfbkey/html).