Why were there were no fireflies this summer?

[garybeck]

Something strange is going on. I've lived in the Northeast almost all my life - NY, PA, and currently VT. One of the fun things about summer time is the lightning bugs - also called fireflies. This summer I saw ZERO fireflies in Vermont. This is the only time I can think of in my life when there were no fireflies all summer long. I don't know if this is a sign about something going on with the environment, or what, but it is very strange.

Did anyone else in other areas notice anything like this?

Does anyone have an idea why we didn't have any fireflies this summer?

[cali]

1. Yes

I did see some fireflies early this summer, but that was it, and I normally see masses of them. I'm also in Vermont

[cdb]

2. we had fireflies in PA

Plenty of them...

[bluerum]

3. I saw a few in central MA. Where I grew up in NY State there

always lots of fireflies in the summer. There are fewer here.

[treestar]

4. My sister noticed this, too.

We were thinking we don't get outside at night so much!

Fascinating, what would have this effect? More building, less woods, is all I can think of.

[KittyWampus]

94. It was a cooler summer on the eastern seaboard. Except for maybe 2 weeks

in late July. I believe the fireflies depend on certain environmental factors like certain air temperatures?

[Fovea]

5. I only saw one or two in KC

and we usually have a good crop.
I wondered if it wasn;t the odd weather in early spring here, but I don't know.

[havocmom]

6. We had tons more bugs than usual here, but no fireflies

But then we don't get those. Perhaps with all the new bugs making it to Montana, we will see them.

Bird migration different this year too.

Frogs disapperaing at horrible rate. NOT a good sign.

[noonwitch]

7. I saw lots of them in July, but then it got cold in mid-august.

In Michigan

[file83]

8. You should call your local University and speak to an Entomologist there

and see what they know. They could link you to a local "insect clubs" - people that study/collect bugs as a hobby.

It's a good place to start.

I haven't notice anything like that over here in Oregon, but we don't have fireflies.

[garybeck]

22. thanks, I just did that. we'll see what they say. n/t

[file83]

26. It could be a part of some normal cycle - or weather related...however

it could be a bad sign - another "canary in the coal mine" type indicator that another ecological niche has been destroyed.

[shrike]

9. Fireflies in the Midwest

There may have been fewer of them, but at least they were here. A lot more bugs of other sorts, though.

[Skidmore]

10. We also had almost no mosquitoes here in spite of the

good amount of rainfall and heat. And we didn't have any of those mutant lady bug types critters that have invaded our house for the past 2 years.

[Branjor]

11. I live in NJ near a lake....

and I did see fireflies in July. Not very many, but a few. They were only around for a couple of weeks and then they were gone again. It's not only fireflies, a LOT of insects seems to be missing. I didn't see ONE butterfly this summer and only a few gnats and flies. No leafhoppers, no ladybugs, no mantises. I am, however, seeing dragonflies, some grasshoppers and I hear crickets chirping at night.

[Individualist]

12. I saw fewer than usual in northeast TN

and have wondered why.

[madokie]

13. I seen very few here in Ok this summer too

[Lone_Star_Dem]

14. We've all but lost ours in my area as well

My friend is an entomologists and she theorized it was due to the fireants here eating/killing their larva.

I think that may contribute but I also blame all the artificial light we now have. When your existence depends your tiny glow being seen by a potential mate, artificial light is your enemy.

Whatever the cause, I fear they're going to be one more thing I tell my grandchildren about that they'll never see.

[meganmonkey]

15. I spent the summer sleeping outside in a tent in Michigan

and I saw tons of fireflies, heard a lot of crickets etc...Mosquitos weren't too bad this year but we had a good freeze last winter and that usually keeps their numbers down...

:shrug:

[lonestarnot]

65. Guess that's where I better go then.

:hi: Meganmonkey!

[meganmonkey]

76. Back atcha!

:hi:

[Journeyman]

16. Had those in South California when I was child. . .

but haven't seen 'em here in almost 50 years. I figure it was either pollution or urban development did 'em in, so depending on where you live this might give you a clue to what has happened to yours.

[calimary]

61. Really? We moved out here in 1962 and that was the first thing I

noticed (I was 9 at the time): that back in the Midwest, there were fireflies every summer, and NONE in So Cal. We used to have them here?

[Journeyman]

69. I only remember seeing them once. . .

at my Grandmother's in Redondo Beach. I couldn't have been more than 5 or so, which would make it about 1959 or thereabouts. I've often wondered what happened to them, and why I would have only seen them the one time, but I do have a vivid memory of a magical evening when my cousins and I chased little lights about the yard.

A quick Google search found a Wikipedia entry which claims that "most fireflies in the United States range east of the Rocky Mountains." They're evidently not unheard of out here in the West but they are rare. At the time I saw them, there were more marshlands in the South Bay area, so maybe that had something to do with it.

[calimary]

88. Thanks, Journeyman. Dang, I LOVED those fireflies.

We used to chase 'em out by the lake, back east, after dusk.

[leftofthedial]

17. they were all raptured.

[Efilroft Sul]

52. Good one!

Glad I wasn't eating my lunch or having a drink when I read this.

[lukasahero]

18. They were all at my house

Seriously, we had tons of them. Sorry you missed them.

A couple of thoughts though: The rains early this summer could have damaged their breeding success. The rains could also have created a perception problem as in, if we're not outside to see them, are they still there?

Interesting subject to investigate.

Edited to add relevance - I'm in middle Massachusetts.

[RebelOne]

My question is: Where are all the ants and roaches?

They have disappeared, but I am not complaining. It's very strange, though. Every spring and summer, I am invaded by ants and roaches. I have to keep a can of Raid handy. But this year, I did not see one ant and only a couple of dead roaches. And there is a field where I walk my dogs that usually has a lot of fire ant mounds. There were none this year. Do you think the bugs know something we don't?

[Tesha]

21. The ants are all down in the basement smoking the missing roaches. (NT)

[file83]

28. So what you are saying is....the ants are on one-helluva trip?

[lonestarnot]

66. They are inundating AZ. Don't know if they are high are not though.

[Sequoia]

40. YA! I'm going down there!

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

23. The ants are all over at my place.

Don't worry about the ants.

[RebelOne]

24. Well, good. Keep them there. n/t

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

41. Are you sure you wouldn't like them to visit?

I can swing them over in my van if you'd like?

[RebelOne]

49. No thanks. Don't want any creepy, crawly visitors.

I'm glad they have taken up residence with you.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

57. Sigh.

Well, still beats teenagers.

[RebelOne]

87. I'm not worried as long as they stay at your place.

I have been enjoying an ant-free spring and summer.

[NotGivingUp]

32. Unfortunately, I for one, can guarantee the roaches are still here!.....

Saw 2 of the biggest ones I've ever seen in my life in the past week...in my kitchen! I was not a happy camper! So if you are missing the roaches, c'mon down here to Florida!

[RebelOne]

59. I used to live in South Florida most of my life.

Bugs were one of the many reasons I moved up to North Georgia. I hated those giant Palmetto bugs. Especially when they flew and dive-bombed me.

[NotGivingUp]

72. they are totally disgusting. florida is not for me...i'm a bugaphobe...

not crazy about hurricanes, sink holes, or alligators either! we plan on moving within the next couple of years.

[earth mom]

58. We get ants and they were worse this year.

A couple of guys at my husbands work told him the same thing. Lots of spiders too, but thankfully NO roaches-NEVER so far. I would absolutely lose it if we did! These days short of killing the odd large and scary spider, I just let the bugs live and let live. Man-ALL OF US-has become to too destructive of our world and our beautiful planet is hurting and we need to stop it! :cry:

And BTW using poisons like bug spray gets in the water system you know. If you really must do something, hot boiling water is said to get rid of ants if you pour it on top of their anthill.

[leftchick]

68. apparently they moved into my house.

:(

[Tesha]

19. Get used to changes.

They weren't necessarily non-existent, just somewhere else
following their preferred environmental niche as it moves
away from you.

Climate change is a reality, and we'll have no choice but to
adapt or die.

Get used to changes.

Tesha


(Then again, maybe it was just a statistical blip. Time will tell.)

[maxsolomon]

20. what was your Winter like?

colder than normal?
warmer than normal?
drier than normal?
wetter than normal?

whichever one it was, thats the reason. chill.

[TallahasseeGrannie]

25. Here in FL we had them

but I remember summers in NJ where I grew up that were slim pickins for the bug gathering crowd.

[RebelOne]

51. Florida has every known species of bug in the world.

That's one of the many reasons I moved to Georgia. I hated those giant Palmetto bugs, especially the flying ones.

[Midlodemocrat]

27. We had them here in VA. In fact, I was watching them just last night.

[Kali]

29. drought?

Here in SE AZ we don't have many and only in a wet year (never seen the flying version - just the crawlers) JUST found one this morning - first I have seen in almost 20 years here!

[Vinca]

30. I live in southern NH on the VT border and we had fireflies.

Our problem was a lack of bees. Have you ever heard of a garden with too little zucchini? I had to hand pollinate the plants because the bees were MIA.

[Tesha]

42. Varroa mites...

> Our problem was a lack of bees. Have you ever heard of a garden with too little zucchini?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diseases_of_the_honeybee#Varroa_mites

[H2O Man]

31. I saw lots of them.

The storms and flooding in central NYS resulted in fewer bees in this area, and a lot of people's gardens are producing far less as a result. Perhaps there were fewer lightening bugs for the same reason.

[EstoniaKat]

33. I was in Kansas this summer ...

Near Wichita. The fields were thick with them for two months.

[NoSheep]

34. I saw only very few in NC.

[karlrschneider]

35. They were thick here in Okla for a change.

The last few years we saw very few but there were a lot this summer. I think they're very
weather-sensitive. But one strange thing is that I've noticed a LOT of waterfowl heading south
the last couple of weeks - they normally don't show up like that until the end of September or so.

on edit: I meant to mention there were almost no mosquitos or any of the other flying bugs that
normally attack and buzz around in the evening but the usual crop of wasps was pretty normal.

[truebrit71]

36. We had TONS this year in suburban Chicago....

..many more than last year...

[Gidney N Cloyd]

47. Agreed. It was a noticable increase over the past few years.

And I don't usually pay attention to those things.

I'm more worried about what happened to all the crows.

[AngryAmish]

56. West Nile happened to the crows

They were really hit about the hardest.

When I was a kid, not so many crows. Their population went up and up. Then West Nile hit and they crashed.

They seem to be making a bit of a comeback, tho.

on edit: maybe not

[LiberalEsto]

37. We had fireflies in Maryland

But the male bass in the Potomac are growing eggs due to some crap in the water.

Our DRINKING water. Perhaps we should rename the river the Ptooeymac.




As far as fireflies, I suspect that lawn chemicals may be your culprit. Lotta nasty things get spread on lawns.

[gollygee]

38. We had fireflies here

and ants. Don't know about cockroaches as that hasn't been a problem for me in the past. We had plenty of mosquitoes though.

[Mandate My Ass]

39. very few butterflies too

I've noticed fewer every year. But the absence of fireflies seems new to this year.

[lectrobyte]

43. Now that you mention it, we've had fewer than usual, too. I assume it's

probably due to the exteme drought we were having around here for most of the year.

[elocs]

44. I saw fireflies in Wisconsin.

I also saw them in suburban Chicago.

[kilgore65]

45. I didn't see one in Mississippi...

and I walk in the woods at least 4 times a week...

[SixStrings]

46. Southern Ontario, Canada. They were very thick this year. n/t

[Pathwalker]

48. They were here in mid-Michigan.

We spent many hours just sitting and watching them from our deck.

[dkofos]

50. They were all at my sisters house in western Ma.

[Tulum_Moon]

53. George killed them all

With his global warming gas guzzling pollution and low standards!
Geezzzz I hate him. I'm having a FUCKING bad day!!!!

[yppahemnkm]

55. Plenty here.

We had plenty in Iowa, my kids chased them all summer long.

[AspenRose]

54. I love fireflies

Grew up with them in TX.

But we don't have them in NM.

Being in VA and seeing them this past summer helped me appreciate them more.

[lonestarnot]

67. Me tooooo!

[Blue Diadem]

60. We had plenty of them and a similar looking bug

that looked like a firefly without the light. It also didn't have that little spot of color on it's back..but darn those things were everywhere.

[Finder]

62. The usual amount here in NH...my sons and I collected them several...

times over the summer. Do they spray for mosquitoes in your area or drop dragonflies? Could be something local. Sometimes a local bat population can thin them out.

I would freak if we had a summer without fireflies.

[lonestarnot]

63. Oh no! I was planning a trip with my son just to look at fire flies!

Hoping for responses to your thread!

[Catherine Vincent]

64. I used to see them when I was a kid and I'm south in Houston.

I haven't seen one for ages.

[mnhtnbb]

70. We had fireflies in NC this summer. Still here, too.

[Subdivisions]

71. We used to have them to the point where they would light

your way through a dark night here in Texas. But, over the last several years they've gotten less and less until this year there were none at all.

[bikebloke]

73. Here in Arlington, VA

I hadn't seen any in years. Then I moved. Outside my new flat, come evening plenty came out.

[Hubert Flottz]

74. "Everything changed after 9/11!"

We had tons of fireflies here in WV.

[AspenRose]

92. One of the best places to watch fireflies

On the WVWC campus after sunset in May (I did so after the strawberry festival. One of the good experiences I had during my tenure in WV)

Wait...maybe it was early June. At any rate, there ARE tons in WV.

[Beausoir]

75. Wow! You are right. Here in MN lake country, they are gone.

We have been very dry this summer...perhaps it's the drought?

[City Lights]

77. We had fireflies this summer.

I'm in one of Chicago's northern suburbs.

[Mugu]

78. North Central Illinois has had a bumper crop of bugs this year.

Many more fireflies that past years. Finally got a digital camera this Spring and have had great fun. Found this Giant Ichneumon laying eggs in a dying Maple tree. This is the first one that I have ever seen.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

79. They Were There, Just Not Lit Up. Conservin Energy, Them Fireflies Were

:rofl:

[Jacobin]

80. We had more than I can ever remember in Louisiana

And I'm old

[lonestarnot]

82. WOW! I need to come to help do something, anything there.

[sendero]

81. In 2002..

... we bought 40 acres in far north TX. We put a trailer up there, built a pond, added a shed, etc. We spend most weekends visiting the place - which is mostly wooded, out in the country and teeming with wildlife.

In those 4 years we've already noticed nature has some pretty big mood swings. For example, the first year we were there, the place was covered with dragonflies all summer long. Beautiful, in all colors and sizes - they make me happy just thinking about them.

But in the subsequent 3 years, there weren't many dragonflies. Some, but nothing like the first year.

Same with chiggers, although we're somewhat happier about that.

Deer were everywhere also, and they've dropped off although this summer we're seeing more of them again.

My point is that the populations of insects and wildlife varies a lot from year to year based on all kinds of things. Rain is certainly the biggest determinant - not only the amount but the timing.

We didn't see many fireflies this year either, but I'm pretty sure it's related to the drought that has gripped the area the last couple of years.

[joe_sixpack]

83. It's because of young kids,

who collect the slow moving bugs by the hundreds to put into glass jars that they later place on their dressers at night for a free light show. Maybe they're not letting them go in time and they perish. We might want to make that activity illegal, so that the lightning bugs don't become extinct, like the buffalo almost did

[Mugu]

84. I can assure you that kids pose little danger to the firefly population

compared to other modern hazards. I had several occasions this summer while mowing my lawn after dusk when the lawnmower discharge looked like I was grinding steel and the grass glowed green. If I had mowed during the daylight hours I would have never known.


Regards,

Mugu

[NashVegas]

85. All Your Bugs Are Belong to Tennessee

Fireflies? We had plenty. Ants? Check. Haven't seen any cockroaches, but then my home isn't in an 85 year old building.

[MountainLaurel]

86. The *($#ing mosquitoes ate them?

The mosquitoes were especially nasty this year (and I know, being the sort of gal who gets a nickle-sized welt for every bite) here in DC.

[RagAss]

89. Cheney had them all gassed....

[SoyCat]

90. I've read that they are an indicator species and that they are very

sensitive to pesticides. Did they spray for mosquitoes more than usual?

[Fox Mulder]

91. There were tons of fireflies here in MN.

:shrug:

[mod mom]

93. We had a few in Central Ohio, but now that you mention it, they seemed

less prevalent. (my daughter learned this year that they are not fairies.)