Invasion of Insects: Is it the End of the World?

Par Briac Trebert
Published on 3 Jul 23 at 10:32 See my news Follow News A thick fog has spread over the past few days in the United States following the forest fires that are ravaging Quebec. (©Illustration / Pxhere)

A few days ago, New York had found herself drowned in a nightmarish atmosphere, the consequence of the smoke from the fires coming from Canada and which hid the tops of the skyscrapers.

Now insects are invading the city, moving in cloud-like swarms in parts of Manhattan and Brooklyn, sometimes making it difficult to breathe in the Big Apple, US media report.

Plumes of flying insects have become both a nuisance and a hot topic, which would be the omen of the end of time… A source of fascination and speculation on social networks.

See the tweet

Warm winter temperatures

But these critters are probably simple aphids “not dangerous for humans”, say experts, interviewed in particular by The New York Times or The City.

They hypothesize that the warm winter temperatures could have contributed to causing the insect’s biological clock to malfunction.

David Grimaldi, curator and entomologist at the American Museum of Natural History, believes in The City that these insects that get caught in the hair of the inhabitants are in fact “aphids in transition to their winged stage”. “When a population becomes very large…the emergence of winged morphs is impressive,” he says. ” The good news ? This means that we have a healthy environment! No pesticides! »

See the tweet

“Like most things, it will end as quickly as it started,” predicts Gangloff-Kaufmann of the New York State Pest Control Program at Cornell University.

Pyrophile species?

The hypothesis that these insects are part of the pyrophilic species, that is to say that love fire, seems to be ruled out. This group can include plants, fungi, and animals that would all benefit from fire, writes The Guardian.

At least 25 families of insects from the orders Hemiptera, Lepidoptera, Diptera, and Coleoptera are considered pyrophilic. One of them, Microsania imperfecta, has been observed to respond positively to a smoke stimulus to mate and find resources, details the daily.

“While it may be annoying, these insects do not pose a known risk to public health,” the New York City Department of Health summarized in a statement. “We are reviewing these insects and will share any important health information. »

Follow all the news from your favorite cities and media by subscribing to Mon Actu.

2023-07-03 08:32:25
#York #smoke #fires #insects #invade #city