ANN BAILEY: God bless the skeeter-eaters

• Ann Bailey

Ann Bailey

Talk about it

It’s a good thing I’m not afraid of toads and frogs because the wetter it is, the more of the amphibians there are in our farm yard.

Toads, especially, are abundant. Tiny toads, large toads and every size in between, they seem to be hopping everywhere. I have to dodge them when I mow the lawns, avoid stepping on them when I’m picking vegetables in the garden and rescue them from being stepped on by the horses or eaten by the dogs when they journey into the barn.

While picking up the toads and carrying them to safety doesn’t bother me, I do feel a little squeamish when I see road kill toads. During my walks with my daughter, Ellen, and her dog, Rosebud, we have to dodge a lot of flattened toads. I’m sure, though, that they represent only a tiny fraction of the toads and frogs that live in the ponds in the fields near our house. Judging by the amphibians’ nightly chorus, they make up a large choir.

Mosquito warriors

I’m glad for the great number of toads because they are mosquito eaters and anything that helps reduce the mosquito population is my friend. The latest batch of mosquitoes at our farmstead seems particularly hungry and they are vicious biters. It’s bad enough to have the mosquitoes swarming around my head and biting my arms when I’m picking vegetables in the garden, but it’s even worse to have them sneak in the car and stay just out of an arm’s length away so I can’t slap them.

I figure any mosquitoes the toads eat is worth the effort it takes to remove them from harm’s way when I’m mowing or when they find their way into the barn.

Another natural predator of the mosquitoes I appreciate are barn swallows. I’m willing to put up with some mud on the side of our buildings and some droppings on the ground below, in exchange for mosquito eradication. I silently cheer when I see the swallows circling the sky in the evening catching mosquitoes.

I also salute the swarms of dragonflies that I see during my evening walks. I love watching them swoop and dive as they do their part to reduce the mosquito population.

I even appreciate the bats that inhabit our farmstead as long as they stay outside.

Natural mosquito control

Natural predators provide our best defense against the mosquito population because spraying would be an exercise in futility. With acres and acres of fields that have been under water for so long there are cattails growing in them, mosquitoes are breeding by the millions.

Besides the natural predators, the other sure defense against mosquitoes is freezing temperatures. Although, I occasionally dream about a killing frost, I’m not really wishing for one yet. There are a lot of corn and soybeans fields that need to mature before that happens.

Meanwhile, I know that a killing frost is one step closer to winter and I’m definitely not ready to don the cold-weather gear, yet. I’m hoping that we have a long, warm fall to help make up for our very short, late spring.

An autumn that lingers would not only give me more time enjoying the outdoors, but also allow more time for tadpoles to turn into mosquito-fighters. I’ll be more than happy to aid them in their war efforts in whatever way I can.

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