Other things to remember when comparing Kansas zebra mussels and Minnesota/northern zebra mussels is that this species acts differently in different states. Minnesota's spawning season is much shorter than the Kansas season. Zebra mussels need water temps above 52F to spawn and Kansas has more 52+F degree days than Minnesota which equates to zebra mussels producing more young earlier and also longer in to the year. We have fertile waters in Kansas and adequate levels of calcium (from limestone deposits) for shell building so Kansas has everything that zebra mussels need to flourish, with very few limiting factors. Lots of food, long growing/spawning season, and good calcium levels...couple this with a firm substrate for attachment of bysal threads and low to moderate flushing rates and zebras have the ideal environment. One thing in Kansas that was "supposed" to limit the zebras here was high summer water temps...it didn't happen. While we do see a midsummer dip in veliger densities, the expected midsummer die off of adults has not occurred. Instead, the zebra mussels have adapted to the hotter water conditions and continue to thrive. Comments about zebra mussels in other states may not accurately reflect the feelings of Kansas anglers or actual impacts of Kansas infestations, similar to the ol' apples and oranges analogy.

We could also talk about white perch in Kansas...