Fleas in the snow. Is the snow flea dangerous: features of nutrition and lifestyle. What are these unusual insects?
In the Tula region there are large concentrations of snow fleas - very active and jumping, which, however, do not threaten human health in any way. Springtails, or springtails, tolerate low temperatures well and feed exclusively on organic debris - dead bacteria and plants.
The emergence of insects to the surface was provoked by warming and melt water, which heavily flooded the ground. The appearance of snow fleas is not a cause for concern; springtails inhabit almost all regions of the Earth.
Many plants and animals live in cold climates. But only a few are able to withstand the deadly cold that prevails in the eternal ice.
High mountains are a very harsh habitat. Many animals, such as deer and eagles, descend into the valleys during bad weather. To survive at high altitudes, adequate protection from the cold is necessary - thick fur, a thick subcutaneous layer of fat, or a temporary transition to a state of rest (hibernation). But no matter how fantastic adaptive abilities living beings have, neither fur, nor fat, nor hibernation is enough for constant life at temperatures in the double-digit subzero range. It would seem that the high-mountain glaciers, where silence and severe cold constantly reign, are completely devoid of life. But no. Some amazing creatures managed to find their ecological niche even among the ice. The most persistent of them turned out to be a tiny insect - the glacier flea.
The glacier flea was first mentioned in chronicles of the 16th century. Because of the color of its body - black with a bluish tint - it is clearly visible in the snow, especially if it gets to the surface in the company of thousands of its relatives. The glacier then appears to be covered with a layer of soot. Alpine glaciers were once thought to be lifeless, and Renaissance naturalists believed that “snow insects” were worms that had fallen from the sky. Only in 1839 did the geologist Edouard Desor correct this error by describing an insect living on the glaciers of Switzerland.
This wingless creature belongs to the order springtails. The size of the flea is 1.5-2.5 mm, so it is not easy to notice with the naked eye. However, such an opportunity rarely arises, because the flea lives in the glacier at a depth of 20-40 cm and only sometimes appears on the surface. The top layer of a glacier consists of coarse grains of snow, grainy ice and ice sheets. Between them, glacier sludge accumulates - a sediment of dust, algae, wind-blown plant remains and pollen. Because the sludge is darker than its surroundings, it is heated slightly more by the sun. This is where the flea lives when the temperature rises above 0 °C.
How does the glacier flea manage to adapt to the bitter cold of the glacier? Mainly due to the fact that her body fluid contains a lot of natural antifreeze - sugars. If this is not enough, the body begins to produce additional protein molecules that prevent ice from forming in the body. In the most extreme case, the flea empties the intestines - throwing out all the particles that can turn into ice crystals.
Thanks to all these adaptations, the hardy insect is able to withstand temperatures down to -20 °C. But much more trouble for the glacier flea is caused by heat: the most destructive situation for it occurs in the summer. When the ice begins to melt and heated water floods the insect’s habitat, its metabolic processes are dramatically disrupted. The flea's need for oxygen increases greatly, it suffers from a lack of it, and at 12 °C it generally dies from asphyxia. In such a situation, the only chance of survival is to get into the water stream. Then an air bubble forms around the water-repellent chitinous layer of the insect, allowing it to breathe normally.
Although the glacier flea is the only living creature that is active all year round, it also has neighbors. For example, the glacier tardigrade is an eight-legged baby not exceeding 1 mm in length. Tardigrades are distributed throughout the world, but most of them are found in temperate and polar latitudes. Unlike the glacier flea, they have difficulty withstanding low temperatures and fall into a state of suspended animation during the winter months.
When the temperature drops, the metabolism of glacier tardigrades slows down. The slower this process of “dying” of an animal occurs, the greater its chances of survival. The activity of the glands that regulate all processes in the body, including respiration and digestion, decreases. But the production of protective antifreeze substances such as sugars and proteins increases - they prevent the formation of ice crystals in the body. Motionless, without breathing or the need to eat, tardigrades lie in eternal ice for six to eight months, until they are warmed again by the warm rays of the sun.
Some plants also live on the glacier - for example, snow chlamydomonas, or snow algae. This single-celled organism with a pair of flagella protects itself from strong ultraviolet radiation using a clever device. The sensitive green pigment chlorophyll, with the help of which plants capture light energy and convert carbon dioxide and water into sugar, is covered with a layer of orange-red pigment astaxanthin. Due to its characteristic color, snow chlamydomonas received the name “blood seed”. Under favorable conditions, these rapidly reproducing algae turn the snow red. In 15 different places this phenomenon is called differently: “blood snow”, “alpine red snow”, “bloody dew” or “Burgundy blood”.
At the beginning of February, the municipal services of the Leninsky and Aleksinsky districts began to receive calls from very frightened residents.
They noticed that near their houses in incredibly large numbers, hordes of unknown insects had settled right in the snow. The fact that these insects were calmly swarming in the snow, despite even the negative temperature, only added to the anxiety of the Tula residents, and the fact that the insects were spreading and were about to approach the houses of local residents almost caused real panic.
Since no one knew where these insects came from, what they fed and whether they were dangerous, this case aroused great interest not only among the local residents themselves, but also among Internet users in other regions of Russia, who managed to watch many videos and photographs of the unexpected invasion insects A variety of assumptions were made, including the emergence of some new species or testing of biological weapons. All this did not put the local residents in a positive mood, and the situation threatened to develop into a real disaster.
However, Rosselkhoznadzor, as it turned out, was already aware of the problem that had arisen and was actively working on mechanisms to respond to the situation. Despite the fact that government specialists were unable to answer citizens what these insects were, they assured that samples had already been taken and all the necessary tests were being carried out to determine what the Tula residents had to face.
Who is this really?
Residents of the city received an unexpected answer from an ordinary employee of the Tula Regional Exotarium, where many species of various exotic animals are collected. Accordingly, the specialists working in this institution have a much better understanding of insects than even many employees of Rosselkhoznadzor. So, Alexey Yesyunin said that these are just harmless snow fleas, which, in fact, have always lived in the Tula region and on the territory of Russia.
The correct name for such insects is springtails, or, even more scientifically, springtails. They are very different from their brothers of origin in that they are one of the few species of insects that can easily tolerate negative temperatures. Even in severe frosts, they can maintain very high mobility and even jump high. However, despite the similarity in name with ordinary fleas, springtails are absolutely harmless to humans and households. Snow fleas feed only on dead plants and bacteria that cause decay, and they do not attack a person and cannot bite through his skin even if they intended to do so.
The large number of these insects is ensured by the fact that they always live in compact mass aggregations. In summer they almost always live in the soil, and in winter they can occasionally appear on the surface in case of flooding - this is exactly what happened shortly before the invasion. Several days of positive temperatures led to a fair amount of snow melting, which ultimately led to flooding of the ground, from which the escaping snow fleas emerged.
Therefore, Tula residents should not worry, but it would be better to even rejoice - springtails are one of the most popular scientific indicators of environmental soil pollution - they live only in places with a very good ecology.
Larisa Panina
Not long ago, information appeared in the media that the Tula region was attacked by unknown and mysterious insects - snow fleas. They live right in the snow and move impressive distances. Residents are frightened by such an unexpected invasion; they fear that these insects can enter their homes and pose a danger to people. Is this really so?
What are these unusual insects?
So what are snow fleas, the invasion of which recently hit the Tula region? In fact, snow fleas have little in common with ordinary fleas that settle in the fur of animals and feed on their blood. Yes, they are similar in appearance, but this is perhaps the only similarity. Otherwise everything is completely different.
So, the snow flea, or, as it is called scientifically, the glacier flea, is an insect that belongs to the family of springtails and the order of bristletails. An adult can reach only 1.5-2.5 in length, that is, such insects are very difficult to notice. But in the Tula region, these fleas were seen almost immediately, as they gathered in quite numerous flocks. The body color is usually black, and for this reason, accumulations of insects in the snow are quickly detected. The chitinous shell is covered with peculiar bristles, there are only six paws (three closely spaced pairs). There are antennae on the head that help to navigate in space and find food.
Lifestyle
The living conditions of snow fleas are very unusual, and this confirms that in the Tula region they were discovered precisely in winter. In general, low temperatures are optimal and most favorable for such insects. They feel great at temperatures from -10 to 10 degrees. This is explained by the fact that from various sugars obtained from food and the environment, the snow flea produces special substances that have the properties of a kind of antifreeze. They prevent lowering body temperature and freezing.
At lower temperatures, such fleas fall into a state of deep sleep, in which all important processes slow down, allowing them to spend virtually no energy (this also happens with some other insects and even animals). And higher rates are disastrous. For example, already at 12 degrees, snow fleas can die, and therefore, when the temperature rises to such levels, representatives of this family begin to burrow into the ground to wait out this dangerous period, and then become active again in winter or early spring.
As for the habitat, glacier fleas were discovered for the first time on glaciers. But they can also live in regions with a milder climate. And yet, a prerequisite for their full functioning is the presence of winter and thaws. In addition, they more often settle near bodies of water, because the soil near them is usually colder than in dry areas. By the way, representatives of this family reproduce precisely in winter, laying their eggs (by the way, they have an orange tint) directly into the snow or even into the ice.
Nutrition
What do glacier fleas, the invasion of which recently hit the Tula region and Tula, feed on? Exclusively biological products, for example, algae, the remains of rotten or still growing plants, cryonite (it is a mixture of soil particles, leaf debris, pine pollen, and other organic components). In general, these insects are completely herbivorous in terms of nutrition and do not depend on living creatures.
Actual news
In early February 2016, many media outlets reported that residents of the Tula region were very concerned. And the main reason for this is the invasion of insects unprecedented until recently. They are small and black, and also have the ability to jump quite high (about 15-25 centimeters). And for this, the Tula people nicknamed them “snow fleas.” They literally filled snow ruts and roadsides in the forest area. Moreover, such insects began to move towards several settlements, which frightened the residents of the city and region even more.
Concerned Tula residents contacted Rospotrebnadzor with complaints. Department employees responded to the request and immediately took several individuals for research. As a result, it turned out that the experts were dealing with glacier fleas or so-called springtails.
But what is the reason for such an invasion of the region? As Russian entomologists (scientists specializing in insects) explained, it’s all about the thaw, which came after frost and lasted for a long period of time, causing early thawing of the soil. Insects began to emerge en masse from their sleep state and spread to nearby areas in search of food. But scientists also noted that glacier fleas almost always lived in these places, they just usually hid or were active in a few colonies, and not in such volumes.
Is there a real threat?
So is there still cause for concern in Tula and in other cities where glacier fleas are likely to show up due to weather surprises? Absolutely not.
There were several reasons for concern, and each of them is nothing more than a myth. Here are the most common fears and their rebuttals:
- The snow flea is dangerous to humans. No, that's not true. Firstly, such an insect does not bite and, in general, does not come into contact with people and other warm-blooded creatures, and secondly, it is not a carrier of any diseases.
- Such insects are dangerous for animals. No, animals also do not attract snow fleas either as a habitat or as a food source. Glacier fleas live and feed in the soil.
- These fleas can enter apartments and houses. No, they live exclusively in the wild, and at elevated temperatures, due to the peculiarities of the functioning of the body, they quickly die.
- Insects can destroy crops. They are also not at all interested in crops; they feed on organic and biological residues and usually do not move away from water bodies or swampy areas, since they need cool and moist soil.
- Glacier fleas will continue to multiply and infest all forests. And this is also impossible, because very soon, namely in the spring, when the temperature rises to 10-15 degrees, they will go into the ground and will not appear until next winter.
We can conclude that the snow flea is a long-existing insect that previously remained “in the shadows.” But it does not pose any threat, so you should relax and live in peace.
