More than 75 percent decline over 27 years in total flying insect biomass in protected areas

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Sat, Oct 21, 2017 - 5:32am

gbell12

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Joined: Mar 28 2010

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More than 75 percent decline over 27 years in total flying insect biomass in protected areas

Full study here

Jives with Chris' account of re-treking the family vacation car trip every year and noticing a similar decline.

Disturbing. Front page news?

Fri, Oct 27, 2017 - 11:11am

pyranablade

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Joined: Nov 8 2010

Posts: 203

Front page news (should be)

It is a big deal gbell!

Sad? angry? yeah.

Fri, Oct 27, 2017 - 12:49pm

Stan Robertson

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Joined: Oct 7 2008

Posts: 650

You may think that you don't need insects, but you do.

gbell12 wrote:

Full study here

Jives with Chris' account of re-treking the family vacation car trip every year and noticing a similar decline.

Disturbing. Front page news?

Chris described the situation for a trip into New England. Let me add to that. In late May and early June I drove about 2500 miles through the midwest and south (OK,MO,IL,IN,OH,WV, TN, AR) and only needed to clean two insects off the windshield. Twenty years ago a major windshield wash was needed with every refill of the gas tank on a similar trip. This is not natural and it is a major problem that has everything to do with pesticide and herbicide use and nothing to do with climate change.

Fri, Oct 27, 2017 - 7:11pm

spotted turtle

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Joined: Jul 22 2010

Posts: 4

Where are the insects?

My husband and I are fortunate to live in a heavily wooded area (60 acres) near the town of Summerville, SC. We use no chemicals in our gardening (organic permaculture) and care for a small flock of chickens. Our six hives of honeybees all died several years ago. This summer, we had no tadpoles in our pond. No nests of yellow jackets spoiled a woods walk. No carpenter bees drilling holes in the barn. No soldier fly larvae in the red worm beds. Nothing flies around the porch light anymore. Toads, frogs, snakes and tortoises are a rare sight. No fire flies at dark. The camellias are blooming now. The oak trees are "nut less" this fall. Fewer and fewer numbers and species of birds at the feeders. Something is so wrong in the world.