Warning of 'ecological Armageddon' after dramatic plunge in insect numbers

I know where I live there's been a decline in insect numbers over the last decade. Very little has changed anywhere around my house so that probably isn't a factor.

Since this seems to be a world wide problem my only hypothesis would be electromagnetic radiation from wireless devices is affecting their ability to navigate, find food, home or mates. I've seen less beetles, wasps, flies, butterflies, moths and bees than ever. We shouldn't become excited upon seeing a honey bee, they were once plentiful (though alien to the US, I know).

Everything depends on insects including us.
Our arrogance regarding size has kicked our asses many times like during the black plague.
Nothing so small could possibly hurt people, right?

originally posted by: hopenotfeariswhatweneed

originally posted by: dragonridr

originally posted by: hopenotfeariswhatweneed

originally posted by: FlukeSkywalker

originally posted by: hopenotfeariswhatweneed
a reply to: 727Sky


The information is out there for those willing to listen, the whole world is changing, there is a massive breakdown going on, all manner of species are disappearing, our ecosystems are collapsing. Its not a pretty picture but not many people care as chasing money is far more important. Sad that we have so much potential as a species yet greed and short sighted behaviours rule......

Whatever takes care of eliminating the bugs...

Once the bugs go so does our ability to grow food, I hope you enjoy eating dirt because that's where we are headed.

No your wrong the most essential staple food crops on the planet, like corn, wheat, rice, soybeans and sorghum, need no insect help at all; they are wind-pollinated or self-pollinating.

You have no idea what you are talking about, read up on micro organisms, the smallest of insects you cannot see they are the life force of the earth, without them nothing grows, nothing at all as the soil dies.

Ignorance like you just displayed will be our downfall.

Microbes are not insects wow you seriously need to take a biology class.

originally posted by: dragonridr

originally posted by: ParasuvO

originally posted by: hopenotfeariswhatweneed

originally posted by: FlukeSkywalker

originally posted by: hopenotfeariswhatweneed
a reply to: 727Sky


The information is out there for those willing to listen, the whole world is changing, there is a massive breakdown going on, all manner of species are disappearing, our ecosystems are collapsing. Its not a pretty picture but not many people care as chasing money is far more important. Sad that we have so much potential as a species yet greed and short sighted behaviours rule......

Whatever takes care of eliminating the bugs...

Once the bugs go so does our ability to grow food, I hope you enjoy eating dirt because that's where we are headed.

Ahhh but perhaps evolution will find a way.

Bugs are reaponsible for a whole lot of death and basically all decay on the planet...perhaps they are disappearing because WE WANT THEM TOO.

Tormentors of all...these bugs.

There disappearing because we spend lots of money for them to do so. We buy bug zappers we pay pest control to spray are homes. We spend money on things to repel them and people are surprised there is less bugs??

Sure those things are a small part of the problem but not what is causing the bugs to disappear, our monoculture farming practices coupled with heavy spraying, contaminating ground water, streams and rivers and ultimately the ocean.

We live in a global ecosystem, where every organism plays a role, you simplistic views on the matter are so far from reality it's scary.

originally posted by: dragonridr

originally posted by: hopenotfeariswhatweneed

originally posted by: dragonridr

originally posted by: hopenotfeariswhatweneed

originally posted by: FlukeSkywalker

originally posted by: hopenotfeariswhatweneed
a reply to: 727Sky


The information is out there for those willing to listen, the whole world is changing, there is a massive breakdown going on, all manner of species are disappearing, our ecosystems are collapsing. Its not a pretty picture but not many people care as chasing money is far more important. Sad that we have so much potential as a species yet greed and short sighted behaviours rule......

Whatever takes care of eliminating the bugs...

Once the bugs go so does our ability to grow food, I hope you enjoy eating dirt because that's where we are headed.

No your wrong the most essential staple food crops on the planet, like corn, wheat, rice, soybeans and sorghum, need no insect help at all; they are wind-pollinated or self-pollinating.

You have no idea what you are talking about, read up on micro organisms, the smallest of insects you cannot see they are the life force of the earth, without them nothing grows, nothing at all as the soil dies.

Ignorance like you just displayed will be our downfall.

Microbes are not insects wow you seriously need to take a biology class.

Tell me do pesticides and herbicides kill the microbes?

Do you understand what a symbiotic relationship is?

My apologies if I come across rude I find this subject irritating, the insects and the microbes are symbiotic, if one dies so does the other .

Our ecosystems are complex and if a key species dies off it affects are global,without bugs we are screwed so it's about time people woke up and started to live with nature and not destroying her.

originally posted by: hopenotfeariswhatweneed

originally posted by: dragonridr

originally posted by: hopenotfeariswhatweneed

originally posted by: dragonridr

originally posted by: hopenotfeariswhatweneed

originally posted by: FlukeSkywalker

originally posted by: hopenotfeariswhatweneed
a reply to: 727Sky


The information is out there for those willing to listen, the whole world is changing, there is a massive breakdown going on, all manner of species are disappearing, our ecosystems are collapsing. Its not a pretty picture but not many people care as chasing money is far more important. Sad that we have so much potential as a species yet greed and short sighted behaviours rule......

Whatever takes care of eliminating the bugs...

Once the bugs go so does our ability to grow food, I hope you enjoy eating dirt because that's where we are headed.

No your wrong the most essential staple food crops on the planet, like corn, wheat, rice, soybeans and sorghum, need no insect help at all; they are wind-pollinated or self-pollinating.

You have no idea what you are talking about, read up on micro organisms, the smallest of insects you cannot see they are the life force of the earth, without them nothing grows, nothing at all as the soil dies.

Ignorance like you just displayed will be our downfall.

Microbes are not insects wow you seriously need to take a biology class.

Tell me do pesticides and herbicides kill the microbes?

Do you understand what a symbiotic relationship is?

In most cases no they don't. In fact many insecticides rely on microbes to kill insects. A good example is Hamiltonella defensa it kills wasps. Microbes by their very nature are hard to kill if not impossible. Even in hospitals where they try very hard to kill them they still survive.

originally posted by: dragonridr

originally posted by: hopenotfeariswhatweneed

originally posted by: dragonridr

originally posted by: hopenotfeariswhatweneed

originally posted by: dragonridr

originally posted by: hopenotfeariswhatweneed

originally posted by: FlukeSkywalker

originally posted by: hopenotfeariswhatweneed
a reply to: 727Sky


The information is out there for those willing to listen, the whole world is changing, there is a massive breakdown going on, all manner of species are disappearing, our ecosystems are collapsing. Its not a pretty picture but not many people care as chasing money is far more important. Sad that we have so much potential as a species yet greed and short sighted behaviours rule......

Whatever takes care of eliminating the bugs...

Once the bugs go so does our ability to grow food, I hope you enjoy eating dirt because that's where we are headed.

No your wrong the most essential staple food crops on the planet, like corn, wheat, rice, soybeans and sorghum, need no insect help at all; they are wind-pollinated or self-pollinating.

You have no idea what you are talking about, read up on micro organisms, the smallest of insects you cannot see they are the life force of the earth, without them nothing grows, nothing at all as the soil dies.

Ignorance like you just displayed will be our downfall.

Microbes are not insects wow you seriously need to take a biology class.

Tell me do pesticides and herbicides kill the microbes?

Do you understand what a symbiotic relationship is?

In most cases no they don't. In fact many insecticides rely on microbes to kill insects. A good example is Hamiltonella defensa it kills wasps. Microbes by their very nature are hard to kill if not impossible. Even in hospitals where they try very hard to kill them they still survive.

No.... Just no.... The microbes in the soil are very easy to kill, furthermore they have no relationship whatsoever with hospital bugs.

originally posted by: hopenotfeariswhatweneed

originally posted by: dragonridr

originally posted by: hopenotfeariswhatweneed

originally posted by: dragonridr

originally posted by: hopenotfeariswhatweneed

originally posted by: dragonridr

originally posted by: hopenotfeariswhatweneed

originally posted by: FlukeSkywalker

originally posted by: hopenotfeariswhatweneed
a reply to: 727Sky


The information is out there for those willing to listen, the whole world is changing, there is a massive breakdown going on, all manner of species are disappearing, our ecosystems are collapsing. Its not a pretty picture but not many people care as chasing money is far more important. Sad that we have so much potential as a species yet greed and short sighted behaviours rule......

Whatever takes care of eliminating the bugs...

Once the bugs go so does our ability to grow food, I hope you enjoy eating dirt because that's where we are headed.

No your wrong the most essential staple food crops on the planet, like corn, wheat, rice, soybeans and sorghum, need no insect help at all; they are wind-pollinated or self-pollinating.

You have no idea what you are talking about, read up on micro organisms, the smallest of insects you cannot see they are the life force of the earth, without them nothing grows, nothing at all as the soil dies.

Ignorance like you just displayed will be our downfall.

Microbes are not insects wow you seriously need to take a biology class.

Tell me do pesticides and herbicides kill the microbes?

Do you understand what a symbiotic relationship is?

In most cases no they don't. In fact many insecticides rely on microbes to kill insects. A good example is Hamiltonella defensa it kills wasps. Microbes by their very nature are hard to kill if not impossible. Even in hospitals where they try very hard to kill them they still survive.

No.... Just no.... The microbes in the soil are very easy to kill, furthermore they have no relationship whatsoever with hospital bugs.

You seem to be A little out of your wheel house. Microbes found in dirt good or bad is what we have to deal with daily. Granted my degree is in chemistry but microbiology is not all that different. The moment something is exposed to the earth its exposed to microbes. Luckily humans being created here most microbes we adapted to. Short of irradiating the entire planet microbes aren't going anywhere.

a reply to: dragonridr

I know very little about chemistry, I do however know a lot about plants, soils and the microorganisms that they rely on.

No doubt you spent years earning your degree much like i spent years learning horticulture and the relationship between plants and soils, hell it wasn't until the third year of study it started to make sense .

Anyhow I'm not at home and it's far to hard to provide links from my phone, if you are genuinely interested flick me a pm and I will dig up some studies that can articulate this better thanks can.

originally posted by: hopenotfeariswhatweneed

originally posted by: FlukeSkywalker

originally posted by: hopenotfeariswhatweneed
a reply to: 727Sky


The information is out there for those willing to listen, the whole world is changing, there is a massive breakdown going on, all manner of species are disappearing, our ecosystems are collapsing. Its not a pretty picture but not many people care as chasing money is far more important. Sad that we have so much potential as a species yet greed and short sighted behaviours rule......

Whatever takes care of eliminating the bugs...

Once the bugs go so does our ability to grow food, I hope you enjoy eating dirt because that's where we are headed.

Dirt (mud) is actually worm poo so we may not even have that to eat.

originally posted by: daftpink

originally posted by: hopenotfeariswhatweneed

originally posted by: FlukeSkywalker

originally posted by: hopenotfeariswhatweneed
a reply to: 727Sky


The information is out there for those willing to listen, the whole world is changing, there is a massive breakdown going on, all manner of species are disappearing, our ecosystems are collapsing. Its not a pretty picture but not many people care as chasing money is far more important. Sad that we have so much potential as a species yet greed and short sighted behaviours rule......

Whatever takes care of eliminating the bugs...

Once the bugs go so does our ability to grow food, I hope you enjoy eating dirt because that's where we are headed.

Dirt (mud) is actually worm poo so we may not even have that to eat.

Worm poo is part of it, that is what makes up humus along with the microorganisms poo, the humus binds the sand silt and clay that make up soils, the humus is what the plants feed, which is made by the organisms eating the organic layer (leaves, mulch, twigs) and crapping it back out.

I would guess that a residual build up of insect toxins around areas that are heavily sprayed might have something to do with it, but I'm only speculating. Any number of other industrial contaminants could possibly be responsible, though again I'm only speculating. It would not surprise me to find that either of these were true, however.

Habitat destruction goes hand in hand with most urbanization, as natural or abandoned parcels of land are developed. This will also affect insect populations locally.

originally posted by: Bone75
I thought we were supposed to be overrun with insects due to a fungus killing all of the bats?

Who knows what to believe anymore? I sure don't.

That's the point

originally posted by: Raxoxane
The poor spiders in those regions must be feeling the pain.Literally the pain of hunger.

Even I know we need spiders, tho they are my nightmare.

I have a bug light in a window (inside) to attract bugs for my little buddies the gecko's, on the outside and kill them on the inside.

My wife keeps a dead bee mausoleum.

And she thinks I'm the nutty one.

We won't need migrant farm workers if the bugs die off.