Friday 31 July
About a week and half ago I turned an old shallow sink into a birdbath. Sealed the plug hole with an old jam jar lid and popped in a couple of brick bits. I filled it with tap water from the hose as I knew there were nymphs in the water-butt. Not that that was an issue, on reflection.
The birds have been using it and it’s near to one of our feeding stations. I have been out there this morning and thought I would top it up only to discover it is teeming with mosquito larvae.
Just a shallow vessel of water, and ten days later life has made it’s way in and colonised it. Another creature feared by humans due to it’s potential to spread diseases such as malaria, encephalitis and various fevers. It’s true that this tiny insect is responsible for infecting hundreds of thousands of people each year, leading to fatalities. Making it the most dangerous creature on the planet to humans. But I didn’t realise that in a shameful second place are humans themselves. Well behind us come snakes, crocodiles, spiders etc.
I currently have a mosquito bite on my calf which itches and is a swollen bump. This is a simple allergic reaction to the saliva of the insect after it has bitten and taken some of my blood. It is the case for pretty much any creature it bites. This is, in most cases, particularly in the UK, the common reaction to a mosquito bite. The danger arises when it extracts blood, and pathogens contained in the blood, from a carrying animal. Then goes and bites another animal, and another and so on. So, I must remember that it’s not the mosquito that kills, it’s the pathogens that it can carry.
Mosquitoes have a history in mythology too. Tales from Greece tell stories of the tiny Mosquito felling the mighty Bull.
But the most important thing to appreciate is that they are food for many, many other creatures. Frogs and tadpoles, fish, and other insects feast on the larvae whilst in the sub-aquatic stage. Whilst birds, bats and spiders eat the flies. It really makes me appreciate the importance of the food pyramid and the ecological relationships that exist. We need loads of mosquitoes as does so many other living things.
I started this blog when we went into lockdown, with a very different agenda. So, today the government has announced that some parts of the UK are having their restrictions reintroduced due to spikes in the coronavirus. Also, flights from Spain and Luxembourg will need travellers to quarantine for 14 days. France, Belgium and Spain have seen significant rises in cases of Covid19. The question being asked of the PM at a hastilly arranged press conference this lunchtime was whether a second wave was heading our way? We will see.
I’ve had a go at making a moth trap liquid. Beer, bananas, syrup, sugar. I’ve painted it on to fence posts and tree trunks in the back garden. I’m going to check them out this evening and have plenty of mix left over for other evenings throughout August. I have never seen an Elephant Hawk Moth and would love to see one. Fingers crossed.
By the way. So warm today. 33° and pretty humid with little to no wind. Perfect for moths, let’s see.
The Bald Birder 