Did Februaryโs freeze kill all the mosquitos, fleas & ticks?
SAN ANTONIO โ Weโve seen how the February freeze hurt our plant, bat and fish populations, but how will it impact our insects? Molly Keck, an entomologist with the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service in Bexar County, says for most local insects the freeze wonโt impact them. And to answer the question about the pesky mosquitos....she says no, the freeze didnโt kill all the mosquitos and fleas. โWhat usually affects them more than constant cold weather is when we have up and down cold snaps and it warms up. She says if we have a wet spring, weโll see more mosquitos, ticks and fleas.
No, itโs not a โpiรฑata of pain.โ Itโs actually more common in Texas than you may think.
Texas Parks and Wildlife shared an image on Facebook and asked residents to guess its origins. Instead, TPW says it appears to be a nest of Mexican honey wasps, which are native to Texas. Similar to bees, these wasps produce honey and are considered a โbeneficial insect due to their pollination services,โ TPW officials say. There are technically 16 different species of Mexican honey wasps; however, thereโs only one species that can be found in the state, according to TPW. RELATED: Thatโs not trash on Texas beaches - itโs a living creature, Padre Island National Seashore officials say
Insects are disappearing at a rapid rate, study says
The worldโs top bug experts say that insects are quickly declining in population and this can be dangerous to human population. Climate change, insecticides, herbicides, light pollution, invasive species and habit loss are the causes behind the one to two percent decline in insects every year, entomologists say. โInsects are the fabric by which mother nature and the tree of life are built,โ Wagner said. This rapid loss of the worldโs insects is problematic because scientists say insects pollinate the worldโs foods, they are crucial to the food chain and get rid of wastes. Scientists say there is hope.
Kissing bugs, a cute name with not so cute side effects, spiking in Texas
SAN ANTONIO โ When you get bit by a kissing bug, you may not even know it because the bite isnโt very painful. But experts with Texas A&M AgriLife Research say that bite can affect you down the road because kissing bugs are known to spread Chagas disease. Chagas is caused by a parasite in blood-feeding insects, like kissing bugs. Kissing bugs, when fully grown, are about an inch long and they can live for about a year. To prevent kissing bugs from hanging around your home, clear out any brush or areas where rodents or critters hang around, which are what the bugs feed on.
Dangerous โkissing bugโ in Texas could cause deadly disease for you or your pets, experts warn
Researchers said theyโve already collected over 300 kissing bug specimens in one location, where just last year, they only found six. Kissing bugs can grow to be longer than the width of a penny and both their heads and mouths are cone-shaped. Kissing bug compared to U.S. penny. Still, if you have been bitten by a kissing bug, itโs recommended to seek additional medical care for further testing. Read also:โKissing bugโ on the rise: Everything you need to know about dangerous infectionJust how deadly is the kissing bug, Chagas Disease?
This is what getting stung by a โmurder hornetโ looks and feels like
On Brave Wildernessโ โBreaking Trailโ YouTube show, the host, Coyote Peterson, follows adventure in a variety of wildlife areas. RELATED: โMurder Hornetsโ are in US; Can the insects possibly migrate to San Antonio or South Texas? He travels across the area for days in search of the hornet until he finally finds one on his last day. To let the hornet sting him. โWhen the stinger went into my arm, I had a wave come over me and I got super dizzy,โ he said.