Column: Here’s how you can help boost a dwindling population of fireflies

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • July 24, 2022

Where are the fireflies? Fireflies, aka lightning bugs, are beetles, not flies. Fireflies are able to produce light, a process known as bioluminescence, thanks to a chemical mixture in their abdomens. They use this as a form of communication, particularly for mating. They need darkness. Be mindful about what lights you have on, especially wide-casting floodlights at night. If you are treating your yard for mosquitoes with pesticides, don’t be surprised when you don’t see fireflies. ~ Maine Audubon Staff Naturalist Doug Hitchcox