In battles with mosquitoes, humans have small but helpful allies

Early North Carolina colonists spoke highly of nature’s supernatural spirits of woods, streams and mountains. Mythical, mysterious, seldom malevolent tricksters, well known to the ancient recorders as being similar to the Old World’s assortment of dryads, naiads, pixies, sprites, leprechauns, elves, nymphs and fairies. Wondrous invisible concepts awakening into versions of salamanders, newts, lizards and anoles following their woodland ways.

All are cold-blooded, some even capable of supernatural regeneration of lost appendages as legs, fins and tails, abundant, gentle, even cute and handsome in their rainbows of form and coloration, seldom noticed by the unobservant eyes.

America’s versions include the common efts, all rate high among man’s lesser noted benefactors. About all that these salamanders and their kin desire is a moist habitat, plenty of tasty bugs and the ability to evade direct sunlight. For this reason, from the Appalachian Mountains to our sea shores we find ourselves as the world’s chosen capital for delightful homesteading of these amphibians. Thriving on the mosquito’s larva and eggs these benefactors help to keep the diseases that the mosquito carries under some control.

This story was originally published April 16, 2016 at 2:00 PM with the headline "In battles with mosquitoes, humans have small but helpful allies."