Fireflies are magical insects, icons of summer for so many Americans. All around the world, fireflies are loved and admired for their spectacular flash displays.

Many people have noticed that there are fewer fireflies around these days compared to when they were growing up. Even though we don't have much long-term data on firefly numbers, there is a broad consensus among firefly experts and the general public that firefly populations are declining.

So it's reasonable to ask: Why are fireflies disappearing?

Here are three possible reasons:

1. Habitat destruction

   Fireflies don't travel much. They tend to live in the same place from year to year. If their habitat is destroyed, the fireflies are gone too. Fireflies like to live in open fields, in forests, and on stream banks. When firefly habitat is turned into human habitat—buildings and pavement—the fireflies that once lived there disappear. This is a problem not only in the United States, but also world-wide. For example, in southest Asia, firefly habitat is destroyed when mangroves are cut down to plant palm plantation.

   Here is an article on destruction of firefly mangrove habitat in Malaysia:
   Habitat Destruction Impacts Fireflies (Malaysia)

2. Light pollution

   Artificial lighting from street lights and outdoor security lights can interfere with fireflies' ability to communicate via their light signals, which makes it difficult for them to locate mates.

   Many outdoor lighting fixtures are available that are designed to put the light where it's needed for safety and security, while not having light spill over to surrounding areas.

   There's more information on the Dark Sky Initiative web site.

3. Bounty hunting fireflies for profit

   Fireflies don't have many predators, but in some areas it's likely that firefly bounty hunters have been contributing to declining populations. For about fifty years some corporations have enlisted nationwide networks of firefly collectors—including many well-intentioned kids and their families—to catch millions of wild fireflies. Fireflies are harvested for the light-producing chemicals they contain, which are widely used in biomedical research and food safety testing. It is important to note that less expensive, synthetic versions of these chemicals have now been available for nearly twenty years.

Habitat destruction and light pollution are important problems, and they are also problems caused by a great many people in a great many places. There are things that each of us can do in our communities, and even in our own back yards, to improve things for the firefly, but it will require concerted action by millions of people to make a big impact.

The elimination of bounty hunting, on the other hand, is something that we could do easily. Let's talk more about that problem.

Many different kinds of fireflies are being collected in vast numbers, and our knowledge of their biology tells us that many wild firefly populations cannot survive such overharvesting. Unless bounty-hunting on fireflies is stopped, these beautiful creatures could easily go the way of the American passenger pigeon and the bison. Fireflies are part of our collective natural heritage, and wild firefly harvesting should be stopped!

http://flashtogether.org/