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Their decline has been so sad. I moved somewhere with fireflies in 2007. The first year they were everywhere. The second year less so and they were completely gone by 2010. I always tried to leave longer grassy areas for them but they were just… gone. It was so so so sad. I didn’t grow up with them and that first summer was enchanted and magical.
I have great memories of walking down the road on a hot night with thousands of slowly blinking balls of light. The person who lives in that place now probably doesn’t even know that fireflies are supposed to be in the area.
Lightning bugs have a multi-year lifecycle that includes living in fallen leaf matter, hunting for other bugs, before emerging in like 2-3 years. So they need places that don’t haul away all of the fallen leaves/plant matter or use broad spectrum pesticides.
I’ve always kept all the leaves in rows along our fences for the lightning bugs to live in, which is also popular with the song birds hunting for bugs. That and don’t do the broad pesticide treatments.
It seems insane to me that Americans use pesticides on their own garden and lawn. Do you not walk on there? have your kids and pets play outside? What are you even trying to kill with the poison?
Ain’t just Americans
For us it’s fire ants. They’ll destroy your yard if you let them.
If you’re having a problem with fire ants it’s likely due to overuse of broad spectrum pesticides. Fire ants have tons of natural predators, but they are usually taken out by broad spectrum pesticides a lot more effectively than the ants.
So you end up killing most of the earworms, spiders, dragonflies, and beetles, while only killing off some of the fire ants. This generally just gives the ants more room to expand
I would switch from broad spectrum pesticides and just purchase some nematodes you can spray as needed.
I have only ever used fire ant specific pesticides. They’re just a problem in my area.
If you’re having a problem with fire ants it’s likely due to overuse of broad spectrum pesticides. Fire ants have tons of natural predators, but they are usually taken out by broad spectrum pesticides a lot more effectively than the ants.
Let me preface this by saying, I agree with your overall message about avoiding broad spectrum pesticides in the lawn, but I’m curious where you got this information from your first paragraph?
I ask because these things seem completely at odds with my experience and with most of the information I’ve read about fire ants.
I really don’t know anybody that uses broad spectrum pesticides in large areas of their lawns or gardens, but fire ants take over yards anyway. I certainly don’t use them here and none of my neighbors do.
While fire ants may have tons of natural predators in their native territories, the issue in most of the areas where they are invasive is that there aren’t any/many natural predators that are actually capable of keeping the populations under control. They breed and migrate so aggressively that critters who predate them don’t make a dent. And the native ants don’t have much defense against fire ants.
Additionally, I’m not sure there are any current nematode products available in the US that are known to be effective against fire ants. Doesn’t mean that won’t change or that there aren’t new products I’m not aware of, though. Just saying, that general consensus is that it’s not a viable solution.
Thank you!
How do you make your lawn a color of green that doesn’t exist in nature? Checkmate, Eurotrash.
it’s called “plants other than grass” and works really well, most swedish lawns remain green for most of the year and require jackshit care other than mowing every now and then.
How are these “plants other than grass” supposed to make TruGreen rich and cause algae blooms in the local waterways? You guys are so behind.
Although plenty of people do it, most aren’t treating their whole yard or entire garden in pesticides on a regular basis. Most people who are using pesticides are just spot treating here and there, maybe spraying their home’s foundation to keep out ants and termites and things of that nature.
People who use pesticides in their lawns will have different reasons and different approaches, but some common reasons (real and imagined, I’m not defending the practice) are typically to control pests like fire ants, Japanese beetles, yellow jacket wasps, termites, fleas and other parasites, and many other things that are region specific.
And honestly, some people just don’t like bugs. I think that’s ridiculous, but it’s way more common than you might think. Any tiny creature in their house warrants the nuclear option. A wasp nest on the underside of a deck terrifies them.
I don’t mind most insects but wasps can go fuck themselves. They are one of very few living things I will go out of my way to kill when I see them. Ticks and bedbugs are the other two.
Why do you have such a problem with pesticide manufacturer profits? No wonder you don’t understand American culture!
( /s - I have a family and tons of animals and a very ragged lived-in yard)
Yeah, mulching your leaves instead of bagging them is really what makes a difference for fireflies. And since suburbanization and HOAs often require (or at least heavily encourage) bagging leaves, it means the fireflies have nowhere to mature.
Stopped mowing our farm, lightning bugs are back in swarms. It’s great.
I haven’t seen a firefly since I was a small child. I’ve never really thought about them before, but it is kind of sad not seeing them. Generally I hate bugs, but fireflies are pretty.
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We used to catch them in jars as kids growing up in rural south. Tired to see who could get the most, then release them and watch them all make a show.
I haven’t seen any of these bad boys in probably over a decade. They used to be all over the place.
They like to live in piles of dead leaves. Between suburban neighborhoods having landscapers haul away yard waste and using pesticides to keep those lawns perfect, they have nowhere to live.
If you go to rural areas they’re still around.
I’m not a lazy ass, I’m just doing my part for the pollinators and insect populations. By being a lazy ass and not giving a shit about yards beyond what in legally required to.
I’ve seen some of my neighbors put up signs like that “protect pollinators, don’t use leaf blowers” and their yards are a chaotic mess but honestly who gives a shit lmao.
Yeah probably went extinct or something.
insert doomer wojak
Throughout my millennial decades they’ve gone from indigenous to childhood memories :(.
We work so hard to destroy local plants to build artificial backyards, and now our parents don’t know why they don’t see them anymore :(
While we should absolutely use our backyards to make some space for nature, there’s going on more than this. Even in nature reserves, insect counts seem to be going down. Last I heard, it’s still not entirely clear what’s going on, but probably related to certain types of pesticides.
Well, firstly don’t expect a single answer, that’s the kind of thing propaganda uses to stop talking about the issues.
The main factors are literal loss of habitats are kinda well known and understood, its just that each little detail has a complex story so asking a broad question doesn’t make sense, and when someone tries to respond to it, the debate takes too long.
We drained line 95% of the bogs, paved over wetlands - these greatly affect more than just the local area, especially since a significant predator, birbs, are migratory, not just seasonally, but immediately too if they can’t find food, so if they can find it a few kilometres away that’s fine), almost no old growth huge forests left, huge loss in plant diversity (eg flowers) directly affects insect population, pesticides and other chemical waste that have different effects, destabilised/unbalanced food chains, monocultures and roads/cities that represent literally an impenetrable barrier for insects and most mamals (so even the shrinking habitats arent connected anymore, and
depending on regionnow everywhere also climate change).Death by a thousand cuts
We used to have thousands of these in my backyard as a kid every summer. Now I rarely see them. We’ve done a great job at destroying our ecosystems in record time. We’re so fucked
The powers that be want us to go straight from “let’s vote harder” to “it’s over”. There’s a huge range of fucked we can be - if what is lost is worth crying over, then what’s left is worth fighting over.
Eh, they’re going to be surprised when the “it’s over” phase comes with retribution anyways.
French revolution noises
There are still some areas where they are common, they’re just more hidden now because the species is adverse to light pollution I’m pretty sure.
lightning bugs were cool.
Haven’t seen em in a while now that i think about it.
Because we killed them all. Pesticides, climate change, lawns… They’re dying out along with basically all bugs.
I have billions in my lawn. Just plant locals (guerilla style) and they’ll be back.
Here in Appalachia they light the trees up.
Good god I’m lucky to live here. Wildlife everywhere (fuck deer though), beautiful rolling mountains all around, very few people. It’s a fucking paradise.
Well, mostly. Very backwards, super religious people. I just pay them no mind.
They look like fey having a parting when they are in the trees.
What’s wrong with deer?
they’re often aggressively over populated (due to lack of predator animals, wolves i believe) as a result they tend to be culled by hunters who do it for sport/meat, and it keeps their population in check.
They often eat a lot of plants and other vegetation. So can destroy and damage gardens, be a general nuisance, and as a result of over population, can cause significant damage to an eco system. (as well as get in the way of road vehicles, which tends to be a bigger problem in rural areas) it’s dangerous
I’m no hunter or avid outdoorsman though, so if someone has some additional insight, nows your time to speak.
Nah you pretty much nailed it.
ah ok, sick.
Don’t forget disease as well, the amount of sick deer now is at crazy levels.
yeah, that would check out.
And aggressively stupid.
There are too many of them. They’re dumb. I’ve encountered a few of them smart enough to avoid eating the front of a car, but not many. I have had 5 cars smashed by them bolting out in front of me.
My favorite one was when I drove to the top of a mountain road, one bolted out in front of me. I wasn’t going fast enough to do any real damage to the car, but because I was at the top of the mountain it launched the fucker like it was tossed off a cliff. While I was sitting there in shock that it happened, not moving at all, BAM! One ran into my fucking door as hard as it could. While I was baffled by that and in total disbelief, BAM! Another runs right into my parked car at full speed.
The one I hit survived, one of the two that slammed into my parked car must have broken its neck. It died right there on the side of the road.
My car was covered in dust from the coal mines, and a perfect image of a deer that looked like a painting was there on my dented door. Tongue hanging out, stupid look on its face. I wish we had cameras in our pockets back then.
I know they can’t help it, but damn I stay anxious when driving. They’re everywhere. I hit one a few weeks ago, turn around and popped one on the nose over the weekend.
People used to hunt here and it wasn’t this bad. Not many people hunt here anymore and the farmers massacre the coyotes so nothing is eating them.
Between deer pressure and Lymantria dispar I’m worried my woods will never see a mature oak again after the current over story dies out.
They are as dumb as a bag of buckles and can be hunted with a hammer. I don’t get the appeal of “big game” hunters making a deal out of deer - they’re fucking speed bumps! And I’ve hunted!
Edit: want to impress me with hunting prowess? Hunt human - the most dangerous prey… :P
You ever asked one about politics? They never shut up.
I don’t see them where I am in Appalachia. I’m also in the woods though, an fireflies tend to congregate more in meadows and pastures. A lot of those are sprayed heavily with pesticides around here, which means not many fireflies.
I’m honestly not even sure how many different baptist churches there are around me…
humans ruin everything.
no, this is borderline fascist propaganda
Humans are great, and we have historically actively cared for our environments since we’re not stupid and realize that we kind of rely on the environments to survive.
The problem is a few psychopathic greedy people who we have allowed to get power and control the world, when people think for themselves and reject the societal norms imposed upon them by these rich asshats you invariably see their surroundings improving alongside their quality of life.
what
for one, let me have my shitty joke.
And for two. I guess i should clarify that capitalism ruins everything instead.
we killed them all
they’re dying out
which is it?
I was pretty freaked out the first time I saw fireflies while stationed in the South. At first I thought I was hallucinating. Then I wondered if I was seeing aliens or something. Finally one got close to my face and I snatched it out of the air. When I opened my hand there was a little bug sitting there blinking, and I was amazed. They’re honestly the coolest creatures I’ve ever seen on this earth.
I’ve always called them fireflies growing up but it seems like that’s dependent on where you grew up
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Orangutan
In French they’re called lucioles and I find that very cute
Super accurate as in NJ I’ve heard both names used interchangeably.
The colors are wrong. Color me triggered.
Like the bugs 😭
Curious what country, article is from Rochester NY it seems
I get the same from central europe, so i think gdpr shenanigans
Wow I would not believe my eyes…
You would not believe your eyes
If ten million lightning bugs
'Cause I’d get a thousand hugs
From ten thousand fireflies
Wow, didn’t know they were poisonous
Lightning bugs are really cool! Where I live, people are usually surprised to find out that there are dozens of species native to the region.
A few years ago, I went on a trip to a different part of the US and they had a species of lightning bug where they all flash synchronously. Instead of flying around the yard, blinking seemingly at random like all the lightning bugs I’d ever seen up to that point, the synchronous ones crawled around in the bushes and trees and then when they flashed, they all flashed at the same time. It was super cool to see.
Another thing I’ve noticed about adult lightning bugs is that the populations can vary greatly from year to year around here. We might have a year or two with large numbers of them each night during the warmest parts of the year, then a year where they are few and far between.
They’re also a water quality indicator.
Funny, so is your mom
They were everywhere in my old home state. I have not seen them in decades now. I miss them.
They are much less common now. Another ill-communicated effect of climate change
Not climate change, artificial illumination. As humanity spreads, it destroys more and more…
Yeah because we have our own light now, so the bugs retired
I think over spraying pesticides also harmed their numbers.
They thrive if you don’t use pesticides and leaf blowers. I have fireflies where I live in CT. Bonus points for letting the grass grow, though that may also attract rodents and look unsightly to the neighbors.
Attracting rodents with tall grass saves me money in cat food
I was into my 30’s by the time I discovered fireflies were real. I was well aware there were bioluminescent creatures in the world but I thought fireflies just reflected light until I moved to the Midwest. They are an amazing sight when you’ve never seen them before.
Lightning bug’s range is pretty wide (they can be found on every continent except Antarctica), but there are much less of them than there use to be.
As a child in the 90s, I would see so many of them flickering. But now, like many other bugs, they are dying off.
I’ve never seen one, though a quick online search shows that some species of firefly do exist in my small country. I guess I’ve just never been out in the right kind of nature at night.
I’ve seen them hundreds of times in movies and TV shows though, they’re real common in American media.
the ones in american media tend to fly while glowing, no? i’ve only ever seen the quietly sit on a leaf and flash in patterns type.
American fireflies mostly glow while they are flying. The best way to catch one is to snatch it out of the air when it lights up.
i guess there was no money for the special-effects firefly in europe…
Yeah I remember seeing so many of them it was like stars near the ground. These days I rarely see more than I could count on one hand at once.
The impoverished natural world being left to our children is something that often makes me sad.
this year is a huge one for these guys in my area. walking around at dusk has been an amazing light show. i feel blessed
You are! They’re one of the very few sources of magic left in this world.
Truly magical critters. Used to be at Gran’s farm as a kid and catch em in your hands. Fields were just covered in em. Great memories.
Haven’t been back in ages… I wonder how it’s looking these days.
Dark
Unfortunately, good chance of that. :l
Maybe let that one stay a memory unless Gran’s still there and should be visited, I have an inkling it’s going to be disappointing
Still ought to visit Uncle & Aunt who currently reside there, but yeah news of dwindling numbers is a bummer for sure…
I love when people find out about stuff that delights them ^^
They used to be indigenous where I lived. Now they are not. I suppose they cannot live on concrete, who would have thought…
