Water striders, also known as water mosquitoes, are shallow-water creatures belonging to the order Lepidoptera. They are beneficial insects. Water striders usually live in fresh and salt water. They are carnivorous insects that feed mainly on mosquito larvae, leeches and other small invertebrates in shallow waters.
In the ecosystem, the presence of water striders helps control the population of other insects such as mosquitoes and flies, thus helping to reduce the disturbance of mosquitoes and flies to humans and animals. From this perspective, they are considered beneficial insects. Water striders also play an important role in the ecological balance of lakes, ponds and other freshwater bodies.
However, although water striders are beneficial insects, in some cases they may also become pests in fisheries because they eat small benthic animals, which may affect the ecological balance of fishery resources.
