To the Editor:

It’s interesting: around here at least, there have been almost no insects around all summer and actually zero for the last several weeks.

Did Morristown and surrounding areas have their usual shadfly runs? I haven’t been there this summer but I don’t recall any stories about them, which is normal in August.

I have not seen a single mosquito in months. I walked our whole five-acres and never saw ANY insects, including any mosquitos except possibly what I think was a few moths.

Normally this time of year the roads around here are full of popped frogs run over by passing traffic as they try to make it across the roads. I haven’t see any.

I have seen a few rodents such as field mice and moles but not in the numbers I usually do when I cut the grass. I’ve seen 2 snakes, one a baby grass snake lost in my garage, which I helped to leave and go elsewhere.

I even went walking one late afternoon in the woods out back and on each side of us and nary a bug, let alone a mosquito was seen and non approached me. I haven’t even seen much evidence of ants this year and normally they congregate heavily out in the side field. There is one hill out there about 2’ high and 5’ in width; no ants in it.

It’s not insecticides unless DEC or some other covert organization has covertly spread all around us.

Tics, hard to find, but are usually discovered with some looking, seem to not exist.

Even the beaver population is staying home or had died off. There is a huge beaver dam that floods about ten acres of farmland the year round and it’s not unusual to see road kill around them.

The geese have been in small numbers. The starling clouds just didn’t happen here this year.

Anyone know what’s up?

Tom Rivet

Heuvelton