OCR Text |
Show 184 As man has modified the Lake environment in order to utilize the water in or entering the Lake, he has had a profound effect on the biota associated with the Lake. The creation of extensive fresh- water marshes bordering the Lake has been beneficial in providing additional habitat for waterfowl, fur- bearing and other animals, and forage for domestic animals but have also extended the breeding areas and, therefore, the abundance of many noxious insects such as mosquitoes, biting and nonbiting gnats, horse flies and deer flies. Therefore, by altering biotic conditions to develop the Lake for his own use, man has increased a nuisance which significantly complicates further development, especially for recreation purposes. Although there are only a few species of noxious insects at the Lake, the seasonal abundance of some of these species creates an extremely unpleasant situation during the peak of the recreation season. Controlling the numbers of noxious insects can be accomplished by proper water management, habitat modification and the judicious application of biological and chemical agents. The main problem in this attempt is in identifying the most objectionable species and devising the most practical, economically feasible and safe ways of reducing their numbers to an acceptable level. The principal noxious insects associated with the Great Salt Lake are brine flies, mosquitoes, deer flies, horse flies and biting and nonbiting gnats. All are dependent upon an aquatic habitat to reproduce. At times, in certain areas, some terrestrial insects ( domestic flies, ants, bees, wasps and fleas) and some arachnids ( spiders, ticks, mites and scorpions) are also present in sufficient numbers to be considered noxious. |