Everyone forgets that mosquitoes are important pollinators also.
https://www.earthtouchnews.com...

Sorry, I'll have to do without those.

Cool, Zoë! Thanks!

Will, interesting article.

Joanna, you're welcome!

Hamwild said: Sorry, I'll have to do without those.

I live in swampy country, I would certainly be willing to try living without them...and deer flies.

Here it's no see ums and Buffalo gnats. Those things will literally drive you crazy. They fly right up your nose and your eyes. And the buffalognats either sting or bite, not sure what it is, but it hurts!

I cain't tell the good skeeters frum the bad ones......sooooo i'm just gonna swat'um....spray'um and dump their babies outa standin water.

I was checking pots on my terrace at night. The yellow-green bioluminescence of the Lamprigera sp (larvae, and an adult male) easily catch my attention
The adult male,

The larvae, perhaps it was just done molting, usually they are shiny black with yellowish markings


Without lamp in the darkness to show their bioluminescence

Cool !!!

Thanks gingin, They are wellcomed friends for me, since they help to control sluggs and snail population, and they are totally harmless for us human. Unfortunately they are shy and only come out at night.

gardenfish said: Here it's no see ums and Buffalo gnats. Those things will literally drive you crazy. They fly right up your nose and your eyes. And the buffalognats either sting or bite, not sure what it is, but it hurts!

Oh, I HATE the no see ums! They can get in your hair too.

May I recommend a good pair of motorcycle goggles? The type with soft padding around the insides of the lenses? I have the kind that you wear like glasses, very comfortable and effective. They work wonders. And if you have any left-over n95's, they're great for gardening too! Out here, we also have the horrible, notorious black flies. Ick!

joannakat said: Oh, I HATE the no see ums! They can get in your hair too.

May I recommend a good pair of motorcycle goggles? The type with soft padding around the insides of the lenses? I have the kind that you wear like glasses, very comfortable and effective. They work wonders. And if you have any left-over n95's, they're great for gardening too! Out here, we also have the horrible, notorious black flies. Ick!

You sound like a good ole Harley gurl to me........

zeta7 said: You sound like a good ole Harley gurl to me........

Naw, I'm more of a Schwinn gurl!

I do admire the Harleys though.

I'm not sure if we have black flies, but out at the lake we have a small fly that looks like a housefly but is black and white striped. These little suckers pack a punch of a bite! They seem to like the legs. I'm not usually bothered by them unless the wind dies down, then they're all over me and I'm slapping and jumping. Because I like to use natural nait I don't like to put bug repellant on and get it on my hands. I need to find a spray that WORKS. These flies laugh at OFF.

The azaleas are covered in bumblebees.

If you're interested in such things, here is a balanced and informative article on the history of starlings in America. It should be free with no paywall

As pesky as they are around my bird feeder, they are beautiful birds if you can get close enough to see their feathers.

The Shakespearean Tall Tale That Shaped How We See Starlings https://www.nytimes.com/2022/0...

Whoops, thought I was posting in the bird thread. Sorry guys

Well whut i thought wus gonna be a bumper crop of Monarch's this year just got shot to heck an back. I wus sittin in the yard talkin to my mators "yes.....i do that" an noticed a chikkin pickin the small cats off a milkweed...

Whoops.