Mosquito, midge, bloodsucker, buzzing whiner – “a beloved child has many names” (Finnish saying). Say what you will about these small insects, they do make your skin itch and evoke strong feelings.
We decided to ring Jukka Salmela, a Finnish mosquito guru, and ask him some searching questions such as can mosquitoes be loved? I definitely heard laughter...
“Yes of course,” replies Jukka.
Curator of the natural science collection at the Provincial Museum of Lapland, Jukka Salmela’s research interests include biological taxonomy and natural science collections. He was in the middle of field work, so I’m allowed 15 minutes to ask him anything I want about midges.
“First of all, what do you mean by midge?” Jukka inquired.
That took me by surprise. I replied that well, you know, those blood-sucking bugs that buzz and whine. He immediately corrects my ‘terminology’.
“In everyday speech, the name midge refers to the two-winged fly sub-order, which includes much more than just mosquitoes. They are only one midge species. In early summer, the mosquitoes that awake and annoy people are called summer mosquitoes. Larger mosquitoes called crane flies or Daddy longlegs, appear before that in late spring. Other species include black flies and sand flies, whereas gadflies belong to the fly species,” explains Jukka.
OK thanks, I got that, so let’s skip flies for now and concentrate on the midge species, starting with the mosquito.
“Mosquitoes have different strategies for living their lives. Bloodsuckers, which are the most unpleasant summer mosquitoes for humans, hibernate as eggs. Whereas Daddy longlegs hibernate as adults, as do Anopheles mosquitoes.
Anopheles mosquitoes, what are they?
“It’s the same mosquito that spreads malaria, which is no longer found in Finland. Even so, there are still three different Anopheles species in the country.”
“Different species hibernate in different places. Summer mosquito eggs hibernate in tiny ponds of melted water where there are no gnat larvae, which are their predators. There are no fish there either, because the swimming movement of larvae is so visible that the fish would devour them in an instant. For its part, Daddy longlegs hibernate in bark cracks in sheltered spots,” Jukka continues.
How on earth can a delicate adult midge survive in -40 degree frosts in midwinter?
“It secretes a kind of antifreeze into its cells,” he explains.
That’s incredible, I said. So mosquitoes are useful after all. Has the chemical industry already refined that substance?
“Not as far as I know,” Jukka laughs.
So what good are mosquitoes to anyone?
“They are a source of food for everything else. Predatory insects and beetles devour the larvae, and birds eat the adult mosquitoes. Mosquitoes can also pollinate, because both females and males feed from flowers. They use the energy they get from the flowers for flying and simply just surviving.
Why aren’t flowers enough then, why do they need blood?
“Females suck blood in order to produce eggs, but males don’t suck blood at all.
And that buzzing whining sound that drives you crazy. What’s the point of that?
“It’s not relevant for other species, it’s not a warning signal for example. Perhaps its greatest significance is that when males find a mating partner, the oscillation frequency of their buzzing whine helps the females to locate them.
But if it’s a lovesick male that whines, why then does the blood-sucking female whine near the ear during the night?
“That’s just a side effect. Its wings flutter at such a high frequency that it makes a noise.
Black flies appear at the same time or later than summer mosquitoes. They are tiny black balls that accumulate on indoor windows to await mass death.
“Black flies are probably attracted by light. They try to get out of closed spaces,” Jukka reflects, but adds that he is not certain about that.
After the black flies, it is the turn of the biting flies in August. Those tiny insects that bore mercilessly into people’s skin while they are out berry picking in the bogs and forests. How can such small insects be food for others?
“Biting flies are nutrition for parasites,” Jukka assures me.
When my 15 minutes is up, I’m not quite convinced that Jukka loves mosquitoes, but even so, he does speak very highly of them.
“Mosquitoes, black flies and biting flies are not annoying once you’ve accepted that there’s nothing you can do about them. I just see them as part of the environment, and in a way I even admire them. They take a huge risk with the strategy they chosen for survival. The existence of midges is the beauty of evolution.
Retkivinkit Katso mihin Ylläksellä ja lähistöllä kannatta suunnata retkeilemään. Parhaat vinkit ja ohjeet jokaiselle vuodenajalle
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