[NatureNS] Who are mosquito predators?

Date: Tue, 09 Jul 2013 07:48:38 -0300
From: Don MacNeill <donmacneill@bellaliant.net>
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I understand that dragonflies eat the mosquito larvae.  I remember that 
Purple Martins were formerly thought to be good for mosquito control. 
Subsequent studies of their eating habits indicated they ate a large 
number of dragonflies, which would certainly not be good for keeping 
mosquito numbers down.

Don

Don MacNeill donmacneill@bellaliant.net
On 08/07/2013 7:02 PM, Dave&Jane Schlosberg wrote:
> What DOES eat mosquitoes?
> *From:* James W. Wolford <mailto:jimwolford@eastlink.ca>
> *Sent:* Monday, July 08, 2013 1:06 PM
> *To:* NatureNS <mailto:naturens@chebucto.ns.ca> ; Fred Scott 
> <mailto:fwscott@eastlink.ca>
> *Subject:* [NatureNS] re bats vs. mosquitoes?
> THANKS, FRED! from Jim et al.
> Begin forwarded message:
>
>> *From: *fred scott <fwscott@eastlink.ca <mailto:fwscott@eastlink.ca>>
>> *Date: *July 8, 2013 11:59:47 AM ADT
>> *To: *Hugh Broders <Hugh.Broders@SMU.CA 
>> <mailto:Hugh.Broders@SMU.CA>>, "James W. Wolford" 
>> <jimwolford@eastlink.ca <mailto:jimwolford@eastlink.ca>>, Nature BNS 
>> <nature@blomidonnaturalists.ca <mailto:nature@blomidonnaturalists.ca>>
>> *Cc: *Mark F Elderkin <elderkmf@gov.ns.ca 
>> <mailto:elderkmf@gov.ns.ca>>, Andrew Hebda <HEBDAAJ@gov.ns.ca 
>> <mailto:HEBDAAJ@gov.ns.ca>>, Donald McAlpine 
>> <Donald.McAlpine@nbm-mnb.ca <mailto:Donald.McAlpine@nbm-mnb.ca>>
>> *Subject: **RE: re bats endangered -- good for other insectivores??*
>> Hi all,
>>
>> Hugh is quite right. The idea that insectivorous bats in North 
>> America feed on mosquitoes is a myth derived from a gross 
>> misunderstanding of a single old paper that provided the numbers of 
>> mosquitoes eaten in one night by a captive big brown bat (Eptesicus 
>> fuscus). It would normally prey on much larger insects, but made do 
>> with mosquitoes because that was all it was offered. Also, it is a 
>> much larger animal than the little brown, long-eared and tricolored 
>> bats in NS.
>>
>> In fact the vast majority of the feeding time of insectivorous bats 
>> is spent well above the zones where mosquitoes are found. Even when 
>> bats forage within a meter or two of the forest canopy, there are no 
>> mosquitoes there because there are no sleeping warm-blooded animals 
>> in the air—they are all down in the foliage. The bats will take a 
>> mosquito if they come across one, but to seek them out they would 
>> have to dodge and flutter through cluttered environments under trees 
>> and shrubs, or within a foot or two of the grass on fields or 
>> meadows, and it wouldn't be an energetically efficient way to forage, 
>> especially for such a small protein package.
>>
>> It is also wrongly believed by many that swallows and swifts eats 
>> large amounts of mosquitoes, but they normally feed high in the open 
>> air, well away from any zone where mosquitoes would be hanging out. 
>> Mosquitoes normally rest on vegetation until some disturbance or 
>> signal that could mean a blood meal stimulates them to take wing and 
>> seek it out.
>>
>> Cheers,
>>
>> Fred


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    <div class="moz-cite-prefix"><font face="Calibri">I understand that
        dragonflies eat the mosquito larvae.  I remember that </font>Purple
      Martins were formerly thought to be good for mosquito control. 
      Subsequent studies of their eating habits indicated they ate a
      large number of dragonflies, which would certainly not be good for
      keeping mosquito numbers down.<br>
      <br>
      Don<br>
      <br>
      <div class="moz-signature">Don MacNeill
        donmacneill@bellaliant.net</div>
      On 08/07/2013 7:02 PM, Dave&amp;Jane Schlosberg wrote:<br>
    </div>
    <blockquote cite="mid:A5D4D48232F6427990FAD6FE681C37CE@DavidPC"
      type="cite">
      <div dir="ltr">
        <div style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri'; COLOR:
          #000000">
          <div>What DOES eat mosquitoes?</div>
          <div style="FONT-SIZE: small; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri';
            FONT-WEIGHT: normal; COLOR: #000000; FONT-STYLE: normal;
            TEXT-DECORATION: none; DISPLAY: inline">
            <div style="FONT: 10pt tahoma">
              <div> </div>
              <div style="BACKGROUND: #f5f5f5">
                <div style="font-color: black"><b>From:</b> <a
                    moz-do-not-send="true"
                    title="jimwolford@eastlink.ca"
                    href="mailto:jimwolford@eastlink.ca">James W.
                    Wolford</a> </div>
                <div><b>Sent:</b> Monday, July 08, 2013 1:06 PM</div>
                <div><b>To:</b> <a moz-do-not-send="true"
                    title="naturens@chebucto.ns.ca"
                    href="mailto:naturens@chebucto.ns.ca">NatureNS</a> ;
                  <a moz-do-not-send="true" title="fwscott@eastlink.ca"
                    href="mailto:fwscott@eastlink.ca">Fred Scott</a> </div>
                <div><b>Subject:</b> [NatureNS] re bats vs. mosquitoes?</div>
              </div>
            </div>
            <div> </div>
          </div>
          <div style="FONT-SIZE: small; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri';
            FONT-WEIGHT: normal; COLOR: #000000; FONT-STYLE: normal;
            TEXT-DECORATION: none; DISPLAY: inline">THANKS, FRED! from
            Jim et al.<br>
            <div>
              <div> </div>
              <div>Begin forwarded message:</div>
              <br class="Apple-interchange-newline">
              <blockquote type="cite">
                <div style="MARGIN: 0px"><font style="COLOR: #000000;