Could the number of annoying and even dangerous insects increase this spring? Experts from the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus told BelTA.
Illustrative image. Photo: freepik.com
Darya Dovnar, Senior Researcher at the Parasitology Laboratory, noted that the number of midges primarily depends on the weather. Their eggs are quite resistant to cold, so snow cover has little effect on their survival — they are found in rivers under the ice.
If the snow melts quickly in spring, the water level in rivers will rise and a prolonged flood will begin, which could create additional breeding grounds for midges, and their numbers will increase.
The development of mosquitoes is also linked to air temperature. The warmer the spring, the faster they pass through all stages of development. However, sudden cold snaps can slow their development and even reduce their numbers.
For now, according to specialists, neither mosquitoes nor midges have become active in Belarus. Midges begin to develop in rivers only when the water warms up to approximately eight degrees. Currently, its temperature is about four to six degrees, so both mosquitoes and midges are dormant. The exception is basement mosquitoes, which can be found throughout the year.
Usually, the highest activity of these insects is observed in mid-to-late May and early June. Residents of the Gomel region (including Gomel, Rechytsa, and Svetlahorsk), as well as some districts of the Brest and sometimes Grodno regions, suffer most often from midges.
As for ixodid ticks, their number also depends on various factors. For development, they need the blood of animals or humans, which is why they are more common where their host animals are present.
The first ticks appear after the snow melts, but their main period of activity falls in May — early June. A second rise in numbers is observed in late August — early September. If spring is very early, the first period of activity may start sooner.
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