Re: [Killietalk] Re: Freezing mosquito larvae/egg rafts

["Scott Davis" <unclescott at prodigy_net>]

>They either froze as larvae or egg rafts for at least 2 1/2
> to 3 months. They are quite healthy looking, and there are NO adult
mosquitoes
> yet. So freeze them - they may hatch (or at least survive!) Those buckets
were
> SOLID for at least 3 months!!!

I was surprised, despite the warm weather we've had the last couple of
weeks, to behold more egg rafts than recently hatched daphnia "out back." It
has been above freezing for over a week. With temperatures in Northern
Illinois now retreating from the low 70s F/ 20-22 C to the 30s & 40s F/ 0-5
C the mosquito eggs and any hatched fry will stop developing and be slow,
easy targets for fine mesh nets. (Your fry will thank you.)

Certainly swarms of gnats have hovered in the yard near clusters of blooming
plants. It's always amazing what "blooms" this time of the year. It seems
like some creatures and plants endure certain temperatures more easily than
they would later in the spring.  Obviously mosquito eggs, in the soil from
months to years, could hatch in the puddles building in fields and woods.
Maybe they did freeze in the barrels last fall, but they would have had to
waterlog as I decanted a lot of water so the containers wouldn't split.

Of course, it's also possible that some adult mosquitoes blew north, some
100s of miles, with the warming, gusty winds. Somebody on the tube contends
Chicagoland gets occasional gifts of summertime mossies from Iowa via the
prevailing westerlies.

All the best!
Scott




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