Mosquitoes in the Sangres

[jdorje]

The mosquitoes aren't even that bad this year...

But yeah give it a month.

The area is absurdly swampy, and presumably gets sprayed and seeded with fish less than more populated areas.

[lavicats]

The mosquitoes were vicious at Zapata Fall TH this weekend. If you stopped too long on the S.Zapata Lake trail they were quick to find you. Not much stagnant water there.

[jdorje]

Pretty sure they're still getting worse.

[KansanClimber]

I was down there last year and got chased out of the parking lot around Crestone. We went further north to see if they were that bad elsewhere and they were. We ran into a local lady who said that there is a migrating flock of bats that flies in from New Mexico each year and eats up the bugs. She said they stay a few weeks and by the time they leave there are almost no mosquitoes or flies. Last year though, the bats were late. (again, all according to her)

After doing more research though, the only bats I could find in the area were in the Orient mine (which migrate up from the Carlsbad Caverns), and apparently there has been a virus that's been hurting the population. Maybe the increase in bugs is due to the decrease in bats?

Edit: "Populations of this species are declining across their wide range. Reasons for the decline seem to be disease, pesticide poisoning and human disturbance of nursery colonies" found this quote here http://www.cnhp.colostate.edu/teams/zoo ... #brazilian

Regardless, I'll be waiting until late season to head back to the range. Lake Como is bad enough with bears and the road...don't need to add in flying parasites.

[mtnmaneric]

The mosquitoes aren't even that bad this year...

But yeah give it a month.

They were HORRIBLE yesterday in the upper Cottonwood Creek drainage. They were eating right through my Badger Balm salve that has been very effective previously, even with copious amounts applied. Bring on the Caladryl today!

[sarahhaubert]

We ran into a local lady who said that there is a migrating flock of bats that flies in from New Mexico each year and eats up the bugs. She said they stay a few weeks and by the time they leave there are almost no mosquitoes or flies. Last year though, the bats were late. (again, all according to her).

This is so interesting! I would really like to believe in a migrating posse of super bats that clean up the mountains. I'm still baffled that the Sangres have this problem, while other ranges that get similar amounts of snow (Sawatch, San Juans, Elks) don't. Someone brought up the Alaska range, which has such a different climate from our CO mountains (Alaska's humidity and dense rainforest-like climate being much more condusive to the super-mosquitoes they raise). Fascinating.

[HULKHIKEGOOD]

Last year though, the bats were late. (again, all according to her)

I think the bats are in her belfry. Marauding bats, migrating around the county decimating mosquito populations and then moving on seems like the stuff of tinfoil hat people.

Dick

[KansanClimber]

Last year though, the bats were late. (again, all according to her)

I think the bats are in her belfry. Marauding bats, migrating around the county decimating mosquito populations and then moving on seems like the stuff of tinfoil hat people.

Dick

Tin hat local she may be, but sadly she seems to be right:

"The Orient Mine is home to nearly 250,000 Brazilian Free-Tailed Bats. From early in the summer to sometime in September, the bats make the Mine their summer residence.

Each evening they leave the security of the Orient Mine and fly out into the San Luis Valley to eat insects before returning the following morning."

http://www.southern-colorado-guide.com/orient-mine.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[jdorje]

http://www.olt.org/mine/bats" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

They certainly eat mosquitoes, but I don't know if they have any significant impact on the overall mosquito quantity. The mosquitoes breed in the snowmelt and valley groundwater obviously, but I'm not sure what causes them to die off after a month. Too high temperatures? A larger number of predators eating them (doesn't seem to be the case really, it's not like we see bats flying around all the time)? Predators eating the larvae in the water? Or they just stop breeding on their own and the third generation of eggs doesn't hatch until the next spring? I have no idea really.

I'm still claiming they are not that bad this year, but they might not have hit peak intensity yet. Some places are obviously worse than others but in the worst years you can't go outside, anywhere, without two layers of protection.

[KansanClimber]

But, maybe I'm just full of batshit myself. But there's not a doubt in my mind that there's a big tinfoil hat population in that area.

What, crazy folks down there? Never

http://sangre-de-cristo.com/westcliffe/ ... Castle.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;