Can we talk weather?

"Conventional wisdom" says we need cold weather - and lots of it - to make sure next summer we don't have mosquitos big enough to carry us off back to their nest (or wherever it is mosquitos live.)

Right now we're getting a typical - if interesting - mix: moderately warm days (55-60 degrees Fahrenheit), and pretty cold nights, mid to upper 20s (and yes, if you're north of the Mason-Dixon line, you can snicker quietly, but I consider that COLD :)

We get some good variations on this theme: some days get up into the low 70s, while other days may never get out of the 30s.

So I'm wondering, is it really necessary to have several weeks of arctic cold blasting away on us in order to kill the skeeters and their pals? Or do these roller-coaster temperatures accomplish the same thing, and maybe even do it better? I wonder if the bugs get lured out of hibernation when the thermometer climbs, and then mother nature hits them with a nice shot of overnight freezing temps. Does anybody know? Or am I the only one who cares to question conventional wisdom ;~)

We get arctic weather here-- I think the coldest so far has been 9*- and we still have skeeters in the summer. In fact, last summer was downright buggy. It's supposed to be 6* tonight, and it's not unusual for it to go below 0 here. So it seems as though really cold temp's may not be the answer?

We also get the roller coaster weather here in Western PA. My husband is fond of saying if you don't like the weather here, stick around for ten minutes and it will change. :-)

Isn't the worst place on earth for mosquitos in the arctic tundra where the swarms can literally kill animals or make sane men go mad? So, I'm thinking that cold doesn't play a major role. Besides, the larvae live in water, and unless the place where they are breeding completely freezes from top to bottom, then they will never be "frozen". The key for control of mosquito populations is to remove standing water. They will breed in discarded soft drink cans!

Copperbaron - even before I read your post I was thinking exactly the same thing - water, standing water!!! We have many ponds around here and two man-made lakes. Thank goodness we also have an abundance of geese and critters to help keep the mosquito population down!! You bring up a good subject there Terry - I think mozzies are going to be more of a nuisance with each passing year!!

I recall reading old books that talked about extremely mild winters being called "grasshopper weather", where the swarms of grasshoppers the following summer are on Biblical proportions. If we won't be plagued by mosquitoes, will we instead have to deal with more grasshoppers than usual?

The way I understand it folks...all the talk about mild winters and bugs are just old wives tales. Insects and their larvae have their own built in antifreeze.You can thank the Bug Maker for that.This assures a new generation each year,no matter what the weather brings,thus providing groceries for the birds.

I've been keeping an informal notation on the insect population and can't see any difference in them from one year to the next.
The only thing that stands out is that if the year is wet,then we have more mosquitoes.I think Louisa is on the right track there with the standing water idea.

There are three critters that do a number on mosquito populations - the mosquito fish (related to the guppies that give live birth), the dragon fly in both the larval and adult form, and bats. So anything you can do to build up their populations is "a good thing". Also, one strain of Bt provides for great mosquito control in small ponds and typically come in donut shaped rings that you just toss into the water.

Regarding grasshopper plagues, they have not occurred since the 1880's and are not likely to ever occur again. They were caused by the Rocky Mountain grasshopper, which has not been found in the wild in over 50 years and is now thought to be extinct. Interestingly, no one knows why they are no longer found.

.......the dreaded Grasshopper.....that's what we fear here in Texas.....but, they seem ot be worse the drier the season! Misquitos do breed in standing water and nest in shrubs and heavily bushed areas!

"eyes"

ive seen a -9 here and i knwo we will have skeeterz. unless its a dry spring n summer

This is interesting, for sure - thanks for the insights and opinions.

(Copperbaron, I'd add to your list of "good guys" to keep around - frogs and toads. Doesn't one or both of them eat critters? We have a frog who has made our big pond his home; even during the winter, on warm/sunny days he hangs out on the rocks. I hear him dive in right before I get to the edge. Even if he doesn't eat skeeters, he's a welcome addition to my pond :)

Okay, so I can quit wishing on one hand for a mild winter; while on the other, hoping we get the cold weather the "wags" say we need, LOL.

go_vols, toads, frogs, and, yes, snakes - absolutely another "good thing". One of the best things you can do is to provide shelter for toads in your garden beds (see http://familycrafts.about.com/library/weekly/aa081301a.htm). It is amazing how little even serious gardeners do to attract and provide a good habitat for these creatures. They absolutely love slugs.

Have you ever seen anything about their importance in the gardening magazines or on the gardening shows - I never have. Why can't the magazines and shows provide good basic gardening advice? I could easily go off on a rant here.

>Why can't the magazines and shows provide good basic gardening advice? <

Several reasons, Copperbaron, but the primary one is that the editors tend to be totally out of touch with what readers really want.

If you hang out at a bunch of forums, it doesn't take long to figure out what's really important to gardeners. But if you query an editor to do a story on that subject, they usually reject it---in favor of the same old stuff we read last year and the year before.

Cooperbaron, I couldnt find anything about providing shelter for frogs in the hyperlink....
I would like to have frogs in my gardens, if they like slugs that is.....
One of my neighbours got some ducks, that eat nothing but slugs, unfortunately they had to get rid of them, can't remember the reason. they were a special breed...

Pebble, just do a search of the site for "toad house". There are a number of articles about building them.

And I'm glad to say that toad house is in Gardenology - along with some ideas on how to create one. Now we just need to have someone post a pic of theirs :)

I was told that there are 'land' toads here in the US as well as those who live on/near water!! Is this true??

Hey, Eyes, you talk about a grasshopper - is it big enough to carry you off? I mean a really big grasshopper. I had those last year - scared me half to death - ate the thorns off my Queen Elizabeth climber.