Bob Mount: Bug spraying has collateral damage

Last week I wrote about some of the potential harmful effects of the insecticide being sprayed in Opelika to reduce mosquito populations. The space the editor allows me precluded me from mentioning detrimental effects other than those I included in the column. Some of the latter are as follows:

Detrimental effects on butterflies, dragonflies, and on numerous other harmless and/or beneficial insects. I did mention the manufacturer’s warning that the product was extremely toxic to “bees.” Bees of several species are important pollinators of fruit and vegetable crops.

Ornithologists are concerned about the declines of numerous species of birds. Among them are Chuck-wills-widows, whip-poor-wills, chimney swifts, some swallows and purple martins. These birds are similar in one respect; they all feed on flying insects. Martins, swallows, and swifts feed during the day, whereas Chuck-wills-widows and whip-poor-wills are nighttime feeders.

Insecticidal contamination of the birds’ breeding habitats in the U.S. or in their over-wintering habitats in the tropics, or both, may be partially responsible for their declining numbers.

I’ve been a “watcher” of critters of every sort since I was old enough to remember. In addition to noticing decreases in the numbers of the above, I have witnessed declines in numerous other insectivorous bird species, including several warblers, nighthawks (bull-bats), and loggerhead shrikes (butcher birds). I seldom see eastern meadowlarks during the breeding season any more, same for Bob White quail. Birds that nest on or near the ground in open areas infested with fire ants have suffered more than most others.

Fire ant predation on the eggs of most egg-laying reptiles has exacted a severe toll on their numbers.

Not too long ago, tumblebugs could be seen in pastures, rolling balls of manure to a suitable place to bury them, either for food or for brood-rearing. Tumblebugs have vanished from our area. Green June bugs are still around, but in miniscule numbers compared with former numbers.

Old-timers will recall when brown June bugs were abundant, when on just about any warm summer night a half-dozen or more would be on a window or door screen if the inside lights were on. Nowadays, perhaps one or two will occasionally make an appearance. I suspect the night-flying, insect-eating birds relied heavily on brown June bugs for food and the decline of these birds may be related to scarcity of this food source.

One formerly abundant insect species, the German cockroach, seems to have virtually disappeared. That’s about the only good environmental news I have to report.

Strike that! Another bit of good news is that more Americans, due to the recession, are “fixing up, making do and reusing” so that the “drop in throwaways means less fill for landfills.” (Mobile Press Register, April 26).

Bob Mount is emeritus professor of zoology and entomology at Auburn University and writes a weekly column for the Opelika-Auburn News.