Bugs (shop, termite, sold)

[rambrush]

Up on our property south of Anaconda our ponds were very full and the creeks running heavy. This resulted in a bumper crop of Mosquitos even 100% deet was not affective. Put it on ears and forehead back of neck and they attack your nose or anywere it was not applied. Now the water level has fallen the deer flys have come out. Last years crop was worse.
In Butte they were not so bad,saw a few up in Lewistown but nothing very bad.
Hard to say what would be effective to combat these state biirds.

[rickers]

They are abundent in north central Montana because of all the irrigated grain fields.
They can live on plant juices but they need three drinks of blood to produce eggs.

[Reziac]

Originally Posted by rickers

They are abundent in north central Montana because of all the irrigated grain fields.
They can live on plant juices but they need three drinks of blood to produce eggs.

And if the horrid destructive practice of "tree topping" (radical trimming to cause sucker growth) becomes popular there, you'll see a mosquito surge, because some species can live and reproduce perfectly well in the moisture trapped in the exposed tree boles after the poor things been mangled with a chainsaw, and there's no way to control those mosquitoes. Apparently even mass spraying does not work, and of course there are no mosquito fish living in trees, either.

BTW there is now enough incidence of heartworm (which is spread via mosquitoes) in Billings (and therefore probably in all of eastern Montana) that if you have dogs, they need to be on a preventive program.

[jimj]

Originally Posted by rickers

They are abundent in north central Montana because of all the irrigated grain fields.
They can live on plant juices but they need three drinks of blood to produce eggs.

What concerns me Rickers is how you know they need 3 drinks to reproduce?

[rickers]

I don't know anything for a fact, I just read that somewhere. I also read that there are thousands of species of mosquitos and their feeding habits and behavior varies greatly.
I have no Idea how many species are in Montana but Maine is supposed to have over 40 species. The Montana official website has a map of Montana showing which counties have had cases of W.N.V. and I'm glad to see my county, Pondera, (pronounced pond er ray) has only had equine cases so far. I know I would rather be covered with mosquitos than ticks !!! What a lovely choice huh !

[Reziac]

Originally Posted by jimj

What concerns me Rickers is how you know they need 3 drinks to reproduce?

It's a vampire thing. We're all like that.

[ElkHunter]

Originally Posted by rickers

I don't know anything for a fact, I just read that somewhere. I also read that there are thousands of species of mosquitos and their feeding habits and behavior varies greatly.
I have no Idea how many species are in Montana but Maine is supposed to have over 40 species. The Montana official website has a map of Montana showing which counties have had cases of W.N.V. and I'm glad to see my county, Pondera, (pronounced pond er ray) has only had equine cases so far. I know I would rather be covered with mosquitos than ticks !!! What a lovely choice huh !

That almost looks like a fully loaded B-52. Can almost carry as much devastation.

[rickers]

My wife and I were at the boat launch on the Lower Flathead River at the Perma bridge a couple of years back. We were both outside the truck with our dog. Everything was quiet then there started a distant hum that soon became a roar. My wife points to the sky and yells SWARM ! I said swarm ? what swarm? By then they were on us and we jumped in the rig. My poor dog didn't make it into the truck in time and got stung all over. What were they ? I still don't know, but each bug was the size of a bumble bee except they were black and had longish bodies. I didn't get much of a look because they were gone as fast as they appeared !

[michael86]

i found a wierd looking insect in billings montana, it looks like a ant on steriods, it has a amber color head, which is big looks like a ant. it was about 3 to 4 inches long. the rear looked like a wasp, it had no wings. its legs were strange to what could this be

[michael86]

i found a insect in billings montana in the country part. it looked like a ant on steroids, it had the head of an ant with huge pinchers the midsection looked like a grasshopper, legs similiar. it rear looked like a wasp and a ant. it was 4 inches long or around there. when i touched it it stuck its rear up with its head down. the head was a amber color, and rear was black and a faded light brown. it has 6 legs like a grasshopper but thicker. what could this be