Muscovy ducks aren’t just good for meat and eggs. They are a wonderful pest-killing machine that can eat almost any insect that crawls your grounds. I list some of them in the article below.
People out there either like ducks or think of them as a menace. In urban areas, ducks can be beneficial in keeping insect populations in check. They eat any bug they can find.
Be it flying insects, ground crawlers, or water bugs, if a duck finds a bug, it will eat it.
They can also easily feed on poisonous insects without any issues, thus making them largely beneficial when keeping insects at bay.
More info about what types of insects they eat are discussed below!
Do Muscovy Ducks Eat Spiders?
Yes, Muscovy ducks can eat spiders. Ducks will feed on anything smaller than them in size, and insects make up a significant portion of that diet in the wild.
Muscovy ducks are also known to be able to ingest poisonous insects, so spiders will probably not pose any threat to them.
Do Ducks Eat Mosquitoes?
Yes, ducks are among the few animals that eat mosquitoes. Among the various duck species, muscovy ducks are prominently known to be predators of mosquitoes.
Keeping ducks in your garden will positively keep the mosquito population in check in addition to other wide varieties of insects.
Do Ducks Eat Mosquito Larvae?
Ducks are one of the few animals that feed on flying adult mosquitoes, as well as mosquito larvae.
Mosquitoes lay their eggs in water for hatching, and because ducks are swimmers, they can easily feed on the larvae too.
Even ducklings are known to prey on mosquito larvae.
Do Ducks Eat Ants?
Yes, muscovy ducks can eat ants as well.
However, the duck-ant equation is not as one-sided as some of the other pests in this lineup.
While smaller ants are not dangerous to ducks and will not cause any harm, certain species could be dangerous.
Species such as fire ants and carpenter ants can attack muscovy ducks.
So if you find these in your duck coop, it’s best to call in pest control.
Do Ducks Eat Roaches?
Yes, muscovy ducks eat roaches. In fact, they are considered quite healthy for ducks.
Cockroaches are high in protein, calcium, vitamins, phosphorus, and iron, among other minerals.
Cockroaches are safe for ducks to feed upon if they do not have insecticides sprayed upon them.
Do Ducks Eat Maggots?
Maggots are a favorite food of muscovy ducks, one of the insects they will happily gobble down.
Maggots are larvae of flies, and they are easy pickings for ducks foraging for food.
They can pick them off directly from the ground. Duck owners can even purchase maggots as treats for their ducks.
Do Ducks Eat Flies?
Muscovy ducks eat both flies and fly larvae.
In fact, as discussed above, maggots are among the favorite meals of ducks.
A lot of times, ducks and chickens are made to roam behind cows during rotational grazing to eat the flies and fly larvae and stop their life cycle.
Do Muscovy Ducks Eat Ticks?
Ticks can be commonly found in gardens and yards.
Muscovy ducks can feed on ticks and help significantly control their population.
It’s a better alternative to spraying insecticides and pesticides if you do not want to use them.
While one duck can’t eat all of them, a flock can feed on them regularly and significantly reduce their numbers.
Do Muscovy Ducks Eat Rats?
No, they don’t eat rats. But these ducks can help control rat populations.
They eat up every food source of rats around, starving them and forcing them to move to other places.
What Other Insects Can They Eat?
Ducks are amazing pest controllers because they feed on all bugs they find in their vicinity.
Besides mosquitoes, ants, maggots, and flies feed on spiders, grasshoppers, and Japanese beetles.
Ducks are also known to eat slugs and snails.
The bottom line is they are excellent foragers and will eat any small thing that flies or crawls around them.
Other Things That Muscovy Ducks Eat?
As you may have judged by now, Muscovy ducks are not fussy eaters.
They’re omnivores, so they can feed on both plants and insects.
These ducks can also help with weed control because they feed on weed plants.
They feed on worms, insects, and a lot of insect larvae as it’s a rich source of protein for them.
They actively look for mosquito and caddisfly larvae under rocks they can lift.
Muscovy ducks also feed on aquatic animals like fish and large crustaceans.
They may also look for aquatic plants, algae, and other plant materials like leaves, stems, and shoots.
Are Muscovy Ducks Harmful?
We spoke extensively about how ducks are beneficial, given that they are voracious eaters of any and all types of bugs.
However, they can also turn out to be quite a menace.
Muscovy ducks are usually harmless when domesticated.
But wild muscovy ducks can get quite aggressive if they start begging for food.
If you do not want them running around after you, avoid feeding the ducks.
Try and control the insect activity in your gardens and yards to keep Muscovy ducks from getting attracted to your homes in search of food.
Secondly, Muscovy ducks produce a lot of droppings.
Adult ducks produce almost 5.2 ounces of droppings daily.
That’s a lot of feces, and they aren’t exactly mindful of where they do it.
In urban settings, they may defecate in pools and patios, posing a health hazard.
It would be a good idea to cover your pool because it becomes a source of fresh water for them.
Muscovy ducks also reproduce quickly, so their populations increase rapidly.
Discouraging nesting or interfering with their nesting instincts will help control their population in your immediate surroundings.
Lastly, we mentioned earlier regarding weed control – but on the flip side, muscovy ducks can also go after garden crops.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do Muscovy Ducks Eat Bugs?
In addition to eating plant leaves and fruits, they also consume aquatic invertebrates such as snails, mussels, and crustaceans.
Muscovy ducks can be excellent pest controllers in urban settings.
What insects do Muscovy ducks eat?
They also feed on larvae, such as those of mosquitoes, crane flies, and cockroaches.
They will scavenge around rotting wood areas and bird droppings in search of insect life.
Water bugs are another abundant food source for Muscovy ducks, and they will easily find these in wetland areas by foraging around the edges or venturing out into deeper water.
What is poisonous to Muscovy ducks?
Eating these plants can cause severe gastric distress, as well as other systemic symptoms such as lethargy, seizures, and even death.
Other potential toxins that Muscovy ducks may be exposed to include lead, antifreeze, pesticides, and gasoline.
Therefore, it is important to ensure any environment they live in is free from these dangers in order to avoid any health risks associated with exposure.
What fruits and vegetables can Muscovy ducks eat?
This includes leafy greens such as spinach, kale, Swiss chard, and romaine lettuce.
They also enjoy sweet peas, corn on the cob, broccoli, cabbage, and Brussels sprouts.
Additionally, Muscovy ducks are known to eat apples, oranges, grapes, bananas, and melons with enthusiasm.
You can also add a splash of color to their diet by eating blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries.
Wrap Up
Muscovy ducks can have many benefits as pest controllers.
They eat almost anything that crawls or flies around them.
The impressive list includes grasshoppers, spiders, ants, roaches, maggots, snails, slugs, and more.
They are also one of the animals that feed on mosquitoes and mosquito larvae, contributing significantly to keeping their populations in check.
Thank you for reading!
