Anyone else noticing a greatly reduced mosquito population?
Normally in Kansas, when we have this much moisture during the spring, the mosquito population is very high. But not this year, in fact I have been able to be outside to all hours and have hadly seen a mosquito. My friends are also noting very few mosquitos. I searched Pub Med and found that radiation can affect the mosquito population.
Mosquito populations
In response to your question about low mosquito populations.
In Centre Wellington, Ontario, I've also noticed a reduction in mosquitoes, but I have not been able to find anyone else on the web with the same observation; lots of talk about a bumper crop in Alberta.
I walk my dogs in areas with lots of tall grass and weeds. Also close to a an extensive set of springs that stays wet year round. Tonight was about 22 degrees C weather and I was out at dusk; normally it would have been a pretty fast walk, but not today. In June there was a healthy population of mosquitoes, but not now. There are mosquitoes, but they are not bothering to stop in for a blood meal.
Centre Wellington did have a 2-3 week heat wave/drought and all the grass went into hibernation, but now everything is green again after 2-3 days of showers and thunderstorms. I will keep an eye open and write if there is any dramatic change.
How much rain out would it take for the females to be not interested in making eggs?
Your whole civilization is
Your whole civilization is based around incentives for destroying the planet, day after day, ad infinitum. The mosquito populations have been out of wack to the upside for quite long time due to an increasing absence of natural predators.
Excuse the spelling. Just
Excuse the spelling. Just another country hick living off the land in relative harmony with life.
mosquitoes have been around
mosquitoes have been around since the dinosaurs. They're not going to be the ones to succumb to anything like this. We will long before they will!
I am in Alberta, Canada.
I am in Alberta, Canada. There are an abundance of mosquitoes here. This is the worst year for mosquitoes than we have had in the last 10 years. In two weeks in early June we received more rain than we do in an entire month so that can most likely be atributed to the population explosion. I can't even go outside to garden without being attacked.
Northern NV here. More than
Northern NV here. More than enough mosquitos. Come visit, play some blackjack, feed the little bloodsuckers.
I would posit that if there were to be a worldwide nuclear cataclysm, mosquitos would probably make it through.
A Thousand Times Worse
:(
Three (3) ORDERS of magnitude!
Haraguchi Kazuhiro has alleged that radiation monitoring station data was actually three decimal places greater than the numbers released to the public.
Kazuhiro served as the Japanese Government MINISTER OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS AND COMMUNICATIONS in the DPJ Hatoyama Cabinet; which was formed September 16, 2009.
English: http://japanfocus.org/events/view/100
Japanese: http://www.toyokeizai.net/business/society/detail/AC/548a752507bc6c3aa0f...
:(
:( "Monitoring data was
:(
"Monitoring data was actually three decimal places greater than numbers released to public"
So numbers reported as micro-sievert were actually milli-sievert.
:(
Well - I am on the East Coast and can say this:
I HAVE noticed a very reduced incidence of mosquitoes where I live. I have seen a lot of larvae in standing water but very few actual bites or swarms (although there are still some).
They are not at zero but seemingly way way down.
The one thing I HAVE noticed is NO MORE BUTTERCUPS where I live. When I was a kid there were LOTS of them and now NONE.
I remember once seeing near a nuke plant that a buttervup flower had turned (or unfolded) completely white. I registered the memory and then this summer I began to look for buttercups where I remember seeing lots as a kid and just NONE at all.
I don't miss the mosquitoes (although I bet the bats do) but I miss the buttercups.
I think these problems are far far worse than anyone will admit and in fact worse than the vast majority of those in charge will ever tell us. Oncew we begin to see masses fo cancer and borthe defects maybe the correlqation will be easier to prove. But for now we are ALL guinea pigs and may go the way of the buttercups, bees and bats (and dolphins and whales and coral reefs etc etc etc).
I DID notice the absence of the mosquitoes BUT there is an incredible abundance of practically invisible no see 'ems (gnats) which seem sdo small they get in even through window screens.
Hmm
I'm honestly not trying to downplay your concerns but one thing to consider is that for many places in the US, the odd weather patterns seen country wide have been affecting bug populations in various ways. I live in Central Cali and we are seeing a larger amount of mosquitoes than normal because of the late rain storms when it normally would be too hot here for them to breed. (We are usually around 100+ degrees by the middle of June but we even had a freak downpoar storm on Tuesday!)Our spider population has also gone through the roof.
well, down here in the
well, down here in the valleys of Eastern Washington, I have noticed a decline in mosquitoes and other insects... moths particularly... usually if you leave your porch light on at night, you attract a large population. I have only seen one moth this year at my home. Now, when you get up in the mountains... lots of mosquitoes...
I suspect weather is a factor as well as fall out, and I suspect that our weather has been affected to a great extent by the radioactive isotopes seeding our clouds and causing unusual rain fall amounts. ...it also occurs that our rain cycle will pick up more of this fook crap through evaporation.. so, where is the proper response to the situation. I must admit, I wish the Russians were involved... I never thought I would be thinking this way, but the Russians were much more active about their crisis than the Japanese have even begun to be... I sadly believe that the USA would have an even worse response than the Japanese have had.
Sadly, no. I live in Tokyo,
Sadly, no. I live in Tokyo, however, so maybe the "effects" of radiation on the mosquito population are different.
bugs in tokyo...
I live in Western Tokyo. Nothing substantiated scientifically, but rumors are bouncing around.
I've noticed a distinct drop in mosquitoes in my area. Some one also mentioned the unusual quietness this summer do to a lack of Semis (locust) singing in the trees. Another friend mentioned that his apartment's cockroach problem had disappeared this year.
Back when they issued warnings that the water wasn't safe for infants, I immediately wondered, "what about pets, and birds, and insects, etc.?"
I'm interested in knowing if there's any truth to the rumors.