Tenerife forum

[makum101]

Hi Bardofely

OK here goes *read in style of Jim'l fix it letter voice*...

Dear Mr Bard,
I saw your horrible insect pictures and thought you may be able to help me...

Since moving out here 2 years ago I have noticed - usually while on a Lilo in the middle of some 5 star hotel pool of a Sunday afternoon - some fekin masseeeeeve 4 winged fly things with a body large enough to satisfy half of Africa's starving kids. Normally I see bright red ones, but sometimes they are bright blue in colour.

These flies sit at the edge of the pool and drink the water (i can here them slurp!) or hover about 2 feet away from me and then bugger off as soon as i lift a hand. I once saw one close up in a cats mouth. It was a red one and I could clearly see its 4 FOUR wings. (the cat liked it).

What are these 4 winged colourful fly things?

Also Mrs Makum thinks I am loosing the plot...
When I'm outside on a night, after dark waiting for the next firework display to start (I like Fireworks!) I can hear a "MEEP... MEEP" sound! This sound is so faint that it sounds like its in my head. Its difficult to explain....errrm....OK try this; its like when you open a door that has a very high pitched faint squeak. Your never sure if it was an actual squeak or your imagination. Whats making the "MEEP MEEP"sound Mr Bard? I know its not Road Runner as id be able to see him!

In hope
Makum
age 40 and 3/4

[bardofely]

I can answer all of those questions:

The flying insects are Emperor dragonflies (the large blue ones) and Darters (the red) both of which are common here. They breed in water so are attracted to pools although clean ones are of no use to them at all apart from finding mates perhaps. They need unused pools, water tanks and reservoirs for the larvae to develop and they feed on other insects, small fish etc. The adults are harmless and eat other insects they catch.

The meep meep is probably a Field or House cricket both of which are common here and there is a pick of a Field Cricket in one of my threads.
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[makum101]

Many thanks Mr Bard

I imagined the 'meep meep' insects to be very very small as I look for them when i hear them. It seems to come from under our patio table but when i inspect the underside there is nothing there.

Cheers the the reply.

[bardofely]

They shut up fast when they know you are looking for them but are not that small. Field Crickets are about 1 inch long and House crickets a bit smaller.

Here is a Field Cricket (magnified with Zoom):


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[makum101]

errrrrr

I'd see that! Its deffo not them.

[bardofely]

Not if it wasn't where you were looking you wouldn't! They somehow throw their voices and when and if you manage to track down where they are it comes as a real surprise. It is made harder because they shut up as soon as they think you have spotted them! They also might be in a crack or under a tile. You can sometimes hear them singing in the streets and they are under paving stones.

I was told a story about a woman in the block I live in who was so infuriated by one that kept making a noise she got a saw and cut down a tree in the middle of the night because she thought it was in it! It wasn't and she got into trouble for destroying the tree!
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[makum101]

I can clearly hear the crickets in our street. they don't go meep they go Cherrrp Cherrrp. The meep Meep is more like one meep at a time. EG:-

meep.........................meep, then nothing for a min or so then THERE IT IS AGAIN!

Where as the crickets sound further away than in my head (like down the street / in a bush and are constant until someone walks past them. EG:-

Cherrrp Cherrrp...........Cherrrp Cherrrp.........Cherrrp Cherrrp........Cherrrp Cherrrp..........Cherrrp Cherrrp

Oh and Mrs Makum cant hear 'meeps' but can hear the 'cherrps' so they must be different insects.

[bardofely]

Could the sound be coming from above and you only think it is where it is? I am thinking bats make short high pitched squeaks that only some people can hear! They are out at night and there are some on this island!
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[northeastteen]

Thank you for clearning that up haha coz me and my sister when we were out there in August 2005 wunderd what the hell them things were at first we thought they were some sort of Mosquito or dragonfly or summit thanks for clearing that up ha xXx

[makum101]

[bardofely]

They might be Corey's Shearwaters which Rob identified for one of my newspaper reports and he heard them where you are!
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[makum101]

Um, not being a twitcher, I wouldn't have a clue, but they do make me giggle as it sounds like they are giggling. hehehe... See!

I always think there looking down and laughing at me because i cant fly... but that is after a few G&T's

Thanks Mr Bard, I'm all out of questions now.

[bardofely]

Mind you the original description of the Corey's Shearwater cry was more like "wotcha-wotcha-wotcha" which is different to what you heard but they have been heard in the Torviscas Alto area and are a night-flyer so it could be them! The chicks of these birds have problems from light pollution around the coasts because they are supposed to head out to sea guided by the moon and stars but they sometimes see illuminations of coastal towns and go the wrong way!

BTW here's the original story link to the Western Sun's site.

http://www.thewesternsun.com/Issue-195/page22.htm
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