What is this stuff in my pond?!

[PBSJones]

I've been noticing small, floating patches of what looks like fine dirt or dust on my pond surface.  I scooped some out today, and it was moving! Eww!  Little things that looked like miniature fleas were jumping onto my hand from the net.  What the --?  I'm not finding it in my other pond, or in the birdbath.  Please, don't tell me that it's a voracious koi parasite and that my fishies will be skeletons by next week!  Unless, you know, that's what it is...

[marla]

No sounds like a larve of some kind.....maybe mosquito, or some type of fly.....if you had a pictue it might be easier to identify.

[PBSJones]

They were so tiny, I hadn't even noticed they were alive the first time I scooped; I doubt that my camera would pick them up.  The critters are about the size of this period.  At first, I thought it was dust that had sifted through the screen I had put over the pond to keep out pine needles that could get through the net, but the screen has been off for over a week, and there are more patches, so this time I looked more closely.  The "dust" seems to be the husks of eggs/cocoons, and there were tiny white squiggly things as well as the "flea" things.  I'll see if I can get a picture of the patches.  Too bad I scooped them all out this morning!

Edit:  I tried to find them online; Daphnia (water flea) came up, but I don't think that's what they are...they seem too solid and black, compared to pictures of nearly transparent water fleas.

[pondlady]

What color were they? sounds like water fleas or daphnia. Harmless to fish. They are a food for small fish.  a good bug so to speak. Good sing that spring is not far off.

[Julles]

I wonder why the fish aren't eating them. 

In my pond right now, the lily pads are hosting some little bugs, a bit smaller than the periods on this page.  But those are typical plant/pond bugs, and nothing squiggly like you describe.  I don't know what it could be. 

[pondlady]

There is a tiny little black bud that is much like a flea called a Collembola. could be your bug still harmless to fish hops around on the wayer and eats vegies.

[PBSJones]

Podura aquatica!  Found it during a search for collembola (thanks, Pond Lady!)  The website that I found (http://bugguide.net/node/view/46064) actually had a picture of a floating patch that looks just like the ones I was taking yesterday.

Thanks, guys!  I know my fishies are safe.  And if it wasn't still so cold, they might be eating the critters.