Are you noticing less flying nuisance insects this year?

We live in the heartland, and have noticed the fly population in this area is noticeably lower.
We run flypaper in the garage to catch them as they are drawn to the trash cans.
I only got a few flies this season. Leaving doors open as my kids like to do, always brought in a bunch, but nothing.

We have all noticed a lack of mosquitoes around, but the chiggers seem to be going strong.

Just wondering if this is localized or if others are seeing the same decline.
I'm seeing plenty of bats around our caves, but no more than usual.

I doubt excess hydrocarbons or Corexit is the cause, but who knows.
Anyone know where to find annual insect populations online?

Kinda bugs me.

i live in england and now you mention it, yeah theres hardly any! we see alot of wasps, flies and house spiders normally but nothing!

I haven't noticed a decrease in flying bugs, but have noticed an increase in the creepy-crawly variety. Spiders around my house seem to be bigger in size and number this year. Don't usually get more of those without more of their food source being around as well.

Comments from Jim Dill of the UMaine Cooperative Extension faculty are included in a Tuesday Bangor Daily News report on the impact of this summer’s weather .................... Dill says that the number of pests — especially mosquitoes — has been reduced this summer because of the dry and warm weather conditions.

Source: umaine.edu

Yes, I've also noticed a decline in mosquitoes, thank goodness. The entire world has declared war on them; stalking them and hiring mosquito mercenaries. The poor little things carry so many diseases I don't see how they still fly. lol.

I had just been saying to someone that the June Bug problem never happened this year. Usually they drive me nuts because they are just big and loud enough to be really bothersome when they fly into your face and your hair but I never really saw any this year at all. Mosquitos I can say I have not seen many of but I am not sure how it compares with other years. Flies on the other hand, I have seen far more houseflies this year than I remember dealing with in summers past.

I live in upstate New York, and yes this summer has had less mosquitoes and flies in my area.

However about a week ago (and since) at dusk the mosquitoes have been insane, and it is not due to rain fall, we are actually very dry for this time of year.

A friend of mine commented to me that wile hiking up a local mountain ( last month ) that there were no mosquitoes, or black flies. I have lived here all my life and I can tell you, black flies are dreadful to say the least.

This concerns me about the local bat population. Thy are dieing in the winter from some unknown virus, and now there appears to be no food for them to eat.

So... Yes, it is not just in your area. I have a feeling that it is a wide spread condition, possibly global.

trinity369

I haven't noticed any change. It was very hot and bone dry for a while and parts of my lawn died out along with a small tree. It's been raining a lot since then and mosquitoes are plentiful now. I have heard a friendly owl at times. That owl I believe has cut down on the bird noise pollution. I have fake owls in my yard but the regular birds seem to ignore them.

reply to post by SLaPPiE


I think you are lucky.

I've noticed almost no lightening bugs (this is probably not the technical term for them). Usually our yard is filled with them by 7:30-8pm and I haven't seen any. As for the mosquitoes I think there are less. Really not too many bugs period..

Originally posted by orionthehunter
I haven't noticed any change. It was very hot and bone dry for a while and parts of my lawn died out along with a small tree. It's been raining a lot since then and mosquitoes are plentiful now. I have heard a friendly owl at times. That owl I believe has cut down on the bird noise pollution. I have fake owls in my yard but the regular birds seem to ignore them.

" bird noise pollution. " ........


I always thought that it was us noisy humans that had disrupted their vocalisations . Is it really that bad ?

Nice to know we are not the only ones seeing this. Thanks.

MTN Biking through the woods, makes the guy in front "spider man". I do a lot of that and here I would say the spider population of the variety that web traps is the same as years before, and no heavier.

However I have not seen one garden spider this year. nurture-nature.blogspot.com... for example.

We always discuss what must be the spiders instincts that cause a species to build such similar webs, and how the garden spider has that signature zig-zag vertically on the web. I always assumed that was a trap aid for bigger catches. Anyway, not one of the 6 of my riding buddies remembers seeing one garden spider this year.

So the hot climate could be the cause for sure. We have had some extra hot days this summer.
I have not heard if the increasing solar activity would cause our ambient temps to rise, but it seems feasable.

Yeah I do. I live in the southeast and a couple of weeks ago, I went over to my dad's and I usually get tore up by mosquitoes. I was telling him he the same thing that I've noticed very few of them this year. When I went to North Dakota though, they were everywhere and biting through clothes.

On another note, I work for a lawncare company and our lawns are getting destroyed by armyworms this year. They are even eating grass they normally they don't eat. They are unholy and I believe one of the signs of the endtimes.

reply to post by wardk28


I was in on some ethanol plant construction in North Dakota and Minnesota.
We used to get attacked by some type of swarming biting flies during the day. You could actually walk up to a guy, and your fly swarm would join in with his, then run away fast, leaving him the jumbo swarm. But man when dusk hits, you better not be out, or the zombie mosquito hoard will light you up! Perhaps the northern location kept it cool enough up there to keep them kicking (and biting).

I live in the Midwest, US. Here its just the opposite. I'm one who is usually not bothered by mosquitoes. This year I've used repellent for the first time in years. We've had a lot of rain so that accounts for it.

I've also noticed lots of mushrooms. They seem to love the heat and humidity.

I suspect these difference are due to changing weather patterns and will be specific to your location.

We're in the mid-south and haven't noticed so much about the bugs, but a lot of strange, new plants that I've never noticed before. Maybe due to extreme temps (100 degrees and above) and little rain??

reply to post by SLaPPiE


The last time I was attacked by zombie mosquitoes was when I was in Puerto Rico back in my Navy days. Thats exactly how the bites felt up in ND. It wouln'td surprise me to see one scoop up small dogs or children.

I live in the midwest, near a big city and in the suburbs near fields and grasslands. In the city there have been plenty of flies and spiders etc. In the suburbs there has been an abundance of EVERYTHING ... some have waned (lightning bugs don't seem to be out at all really) while others have boomed (literally thousands of dragon flies have been roaming the corn fields and tons of bees as well lately).

I went fishing with some family last night in a slightly woody grassland area, and the bugs were so bad we had to cut the trip early.

So all in all nothing really out of the ordinary here.

I haven't noticed many. But my car would say other wise. I have to scrape those suckers off everyday.

Yes. I live in southern Michigan and I've noticed a decrease in mosquitoes this year. When I go outside at night I will still get some bites but I never see swarms of them and never any during the day. They also seem to only bite my feet...maybe they're actually chiggers and not mosquitoes?

I can't say I miss the little pests but it makes me wonder why there are less of them.