Canopy Fireflies Grace the High Tree Tops Before Being Destroyed by Fogger Spraying Toxic Chemical Agents
By Terry Lynch
Send comments and replies to
terrylynch@aol.com
Allusive high flying fireflies, Photinus sp., were knocked out of the treetops after a fogger sprayed toxic chemical agents throughout the neighborhood. Female, left and male, right were photographed while they were still alive after being discovered laying upon the ground unable to fly. Graph scale: 1/4 inch. Photo © 2018 by Terry Lynch. All rights reserved.
I have been observing the fireflies in the high tree tops every June since relocating to east-central Mississippi in 2004. Long have I marveled at their twilight dances, sparkling in the high treetops, too high to swoop a net and catch a few and a behavior which is difficult to study, least one have the means to climb up into the high canopy at night. Thus I watched the marvelous flashing of thousands of fireflies each June, wondering who the players were, twinkling like so many tiny stars in the treetops, as mysterious as a galaxy see from afar.
I was all prepared to make a video of the fireflies dancing in the treetops at the peek of their mating display, when after sunset a fogger bellowing toxic chemical agents passed through the neighborhood just after sunset. When I set the video camera up to record the wondrous sight I had seen on the previous evening, all the fireflies in the high canopy were gone: not a shingle flash could be seen in the high treetops.
I was quite anxious by this disturbance in the “force” as a Star War fan might say. Something had gone very wrong. The fogger had killed all the fireflies that were flashing high in the canopy. Might I be able to find some evidence of this fact?
I began looking around upon the ground and spotted a sparkling glow some 15 feet away. I discovered a very tiny male firefly that was laying upon the ground wiggling its legs and antennae. Indeed, the firefly was disabled by neuro toxins sprayed by the fogger.
I carefully collected this single specimen and made photographs and video of its behavior under the duress of toxic chemical agents. The firefly was a very tiny species of Photinus, only 8 mm long and colored a light pale tan, the color of the bark of pecan or oak trees. This made the firefly difficult to see against a background of oak and pecan leaves in every state of decay. Yet because the exposure to toxic chemical agents left the firefly glowing, I was able to fine it among a vast accumulation of leaf litter.
Having chanced to find one high flying firefly that had been knocked from the sky by the toxic fumes of the fogger which rumbled through the neighborhood after sunset during the peek of firefly mating season, and seeing that all the high flyers observed the night before were no longer flashing their delightful mating lamps amid the high canopy, I knew others must have fallen from the sky. I also knew now exactly what to look for, a tiny 8 mm long, pale colored firefly which would be glowing dimly somewhere in the vast Urban Jungle. Yet finding one tiny creature amid a forest of giant Water Oaks, Pecan trees, Cedar, Pine, and Magnolia trees would still be difficult, indeed, like looking for a lion at night upon the Dark Continent.
Yet it was now or never, as the entire small town where I lived had been sprayed killing the high flying fireflies. It might be another year before any fireflies would reappear in mass amid the high treetop canopy. Thus I went out into the nigbt armed with this bit of knowledge, for at least I knew what the treasure I sought looked like and that its glow persisted into the night.
I carefully searched the vast Urban Jungle much of which was covered with large Magnolia Tree leaves, fallen limbs from the pine, cedar, pecan and oat trees, plus a profusion of pine needles and small Water Oak leaves in every stage of decay. After searching at area of some 60 square feet, I was able to find seven more tiny adult fireflies. Some of the males still retained the ability to flash brightly in response to an LED flashlight when it was blinked on and off. This flash is how males tend to synchronize their flashes and comes about 0.5 seconds after a light is flashed. Other fallen flyers glowed dimly as they lay upon the ground. Over the course of several hours I was able to locate two females and, including the first male I had found earlier in the night, six male fireflies were discovered in various states of expiring due to exposure to neuro toxins. I thus had both sexes of these tiny fireflies which normally flashed and danced high in the treetops alluding close observation and easy capture.
I had observed the high flyers flashing and dancing in the canopy for fourteen summers, delighted when they would appear during the first week of June. Now I had the fallen angels of the night at hand. I photographed them and made digital videos while some still retained life and the ability to flash and glow. All showed the effect of neuro toxin poisoning from the fogger, laying upon their elytrae, wiggling their legs and antennae. Some lost their ability to move as I watched. Others struggled to right themselves and walk about. Some could still open their wings which helped to right themselves. There were occasional flashes and soft glows.
Over the course of the night I took photographs and made videos to record the massacre of the treetop dwelling fireflies. It was a terrible sight for one who so loves the twinkling and sparkle of the high treetop flashing fireflies, an awful event, but one which I turned into an opportunity to gain a bit more knowledge about these allusive fireflies. Plus I confirmed that the usage of foggers to spray for and control mosquitoes is destroying the fireflies, even those which enjoy the relative safety of the high treetop canopy.
Using foggers to spray neuro toxins is thus estimated to be decimating firefly populations, killing over 2.23 million fireflies for every 36 square miles of township sprayed weekly. Although kill rates may vary depending upon location and other circumstances, foggers spraying neuro toxins represent a primary reason fireflies are disappearing every where they are used.
Given the usage of foggers spraying neuro toxins is exterminating entire firefly populations, it is highly recommended that foggers not be used when fireflies are active. Instead, communities should invest in programs to remove stagnant standing water where mosquitoes breed and spend more money on programs to educate and inform the public about how to avoid mosquito bites which will prevent mosquito-borne diseases and save lives.
The eight specimens I collected were preserved in a vial of 70% isopropyl alcohol. Thus I may accurately identify their species later. It is necessary to dissect the genetilia of made fireflies of the genus Photinus, then to clear the tissue, to identify the species. Perhaps I will do this later. But I am also interested in making an instrument that can image fireflies and other insects using magnetic resonance imaging technology. Ah, but that may take millions of dollars to develop and construct. However, having such a device has been a dream of mine. I wonder if I will live long enough to make it a reality?
Any rich investors who would like to contribute to bringing this dream of a firefly MRI device to reality may make a donation to Terry’s Fund for Bioluminescent Organism Research, or Biolights at
https://www.paypal.me/terrysfund. You may contribute up to $10,000.00 a shot. If you are Bill Gates or have pockets as deep as his, you may write to terrylynch@aol.com and make a multi-million dollar grant to support the R&D which I am doing, that funds to construct the first firefly MRI device may be acquired and it be built through a cooperative effort at a major university -- or in my garage. :-) I will gladly head up the program and provide the treetop flashers of the night for imaging to determine conclusively their species.
~TAL
8 June 2018
Firefly Links
Contributions to support firefly research and advocate for the preservation of fireflies may be made to Terry’s Save the Firefly Fund at
http://www.paypal.me/terrysfundFirefly Gallery: A collection of original gifts and apparel to express your passion for fireflies at:
https://www.cafepress.com/bytelandart/648757
I Love Fireflies at
https://www.cafepress.com/bytelandart.636909528 Save the Firefly at
https://www.cafepress.com/bytelandart/5884785
Save the Firefly Women’s Long Sleeve Shirt
https://www.cafepress.com/bytelandart.295475362 Copyright © 2018 by Terry Lynch. All rights reserved.
