A recent article in the Times News entitled “Firefly numbers low this year because of lack of rain” (July 6) is profoundly misleading regarding the current status of fireflies in our region.

In attributing the low firefly numbers to “lack of rain,” the Times News article completely omits the real reasons for the disappearance of this iconic species from our region, which include habitat loss, light pollution and pesticides.

Most fireflies depend on undisturbed wetland areas to lay their eggs. As more and more of these natural habitats are lost to development, fewer eggs are laid, with fewer larvae reaching adulthood. Artificial light from street lighting, car headlights, and outdoor lighting of homes and businesses interferes with the bioluminescence and natural light signals used by fireflies to communicate with others of their species, making it difficult for them to find mates, resulting in reproductive failure with fewer eggs laid and progressively lower numbers with each passing summer.

Pesticide usage in the U.S. has more than doubled since 1960. Decades of mosquito spraying have been especially harmful to fireflies. Insecticides sprayed from the air are absorbed into soils where fireflies lay their eggs and spend most of their lives feeding on slugs and worms before emerging as adults. Adult fireflies that survive the larvicides often share the same habitats as mosquitoes and are active at the same times of day, resulting in death to fireflies from spraying that targets mosquitoes.

This is not something to be taken lightly. Loss of biological diversity in our environment lowers the quality of life for all.

Juliet Perrin

Albrightsville