Insect collapse: ‘We are destroying our life support systems’

Got any of that around?

a reply to: InTheLight

originally posted by: Athetos
Got any of that around?

a reply to: InTheLight

Any of what?

My pervious post,monoculture farms, mass use of insecticide? Very little forest? Pollution in the water? It’s highly likely your bugs are effected by these factors over alleged weapons.

a reply to: InTheLight

Double Post.

originally posted by: Athetos
My pervious post,monoculture farms, mass use of insecticide? Very little forest? Pollution in the water? It’s highly likely your bugs are effected by these factors over alleged weapons.

a reply to: InTheLight

Oh, I see. Nope, I am surrounded by forest. Water has been tested and it is excellent spring water quality. Not sure what farmers are doing though, but I'll ask the locals if I get a chance.

a reply to: LookingAtMars

None of my fruit trees had any pollination about 3 years ago, and so I had no fruit. There were no bees to pollinate. I researched bee-keeping and set up my first bee-box 2 years ago. I did ok that year with fruit, but my bees all died. I got some more, and last year was ok, but they have died also. I am either a crappy bee-keeper, or all my bees are dying for some reason.

Buying more bees this year.

a reply to: LookingAtMars

Doesn't surprise me really. I live in the City and hardly any fly's around or bee's, wasps have definitely disappeared and bird numbers are dwindling also... I guess all these species have moved to the countryside! Worms, Snails, ants you would think are plentifull but even they are dying out where I am. Hedgehogs have disappeared and I guess Foxes are soon to follow.

Population growth is the main factor for all of this.

I would like to think this is fake news or just an isolated case. There are still plenty of bugs around here.

Speaking for the Hudson Valley, the northeastern Catskills and the central Catskills, being a resident since 1989, the collapse of the bird and insect populations is absolutely apalling. In Kingston NY this fall, there were no crickets in September and October, and no katydids either. In late summer early autumn, those insects used to be abundant. They were all but absent this year. Very few crickets in Woodstock, either. In 1989, bird species were abundant and diverse. They are much more limited now, though certain species have rebounded in spite of the overall decline, specifically bluebirds and bald eagles. Some species of woodpecker, like the pileated woodpecker, are still common. Other smaller woodpeckers have all but disappeared. Mourning doves are rare now. They used to be abundant everywhere, in all seasons. Red squirrels are practically extinct, whereas they used to be a common sight. Insects at night are only about 10% of what they used to be, all over the Hudson Valley and Catskills. Even mosquitos and gnats are rare. They used to be a predictable, annoying phenomenon at certain times of year (mosquitoes in early to mid spring, mosquitoes in summer). Butterflies -- almost gone. No more monarchs. I saw a swallowtail maybe once in the last two summers. And the many other species of butterfly and diurnal moth that used to go flower to flower, mostly gone. Dragonflies? I saw a grand total of one last summer.

I do spend more time indoors and glued to a computer screen than I used to. But I still get out and hike in local nature, and I know my bird songs and bugs pretty well. I grew up with a Mom who knows quite a bit about bugs and birds, is why. Where I've been living, it's a holocaust in the making, but the actual cause -- which may well be climate change -- is all but invisible.

Similar trends prevail on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Except for birds of prey and vultures, there are fewer species than before. There used to be an abundance of bird species and vigorous songbird choruses in the spring summer. No more so now. There are lots of robins -- they still have a lot of worms to eat -- but most other songbirds are gone now. I have only heard a single cardinal in one month here, since mid-December.

This a global phenomenon. What some scientists have been saying -- that we've reached the tipping point of the next mass extinction -- is clearly true. For now I can take some solace in the wildlife that still thrive in my usual haunts -- canada geese, robins, starlings, eagles, foxes, deer, some racoons, bears. Too early to say if their food chain will disappear or not.

They've been aware of the decline of insect populations for a number of years. This article talks about in Europe, and it's from 2017

edition.cnn.com...

a reply to: WUNK22

I hat bugs! Ticks, fleas, yellow jackets, ants, spiders I like, they eat bugs!

Are you and I bugs, then? Because ticks and fleas like to eat people.

originally posted by: Enderdog
a reply to: LookingAtMars

STOP CONTINENTAL DRIFT, NOW!

Do what I do. Drag your feet.

Let's blame climate change, aka global warming, before giving consideration to any of the millions of other factors likely involved. As disturbing as this information is, it seems like a climate gate hit piece to me. It is not that simple in my opinion.

Insects have a complex life process that involves specific ecological factors in their life cycles. Remove or alter any of those factors and you disrupt that life cycle. The insect web of life is complex and interwoven with many other species of plants and animals, but of course they have to blame "global warming" as the reason why there is a severe decline in insect and bird numbers in any given area of the planet.

Let's not ever blame a lack of proper natural resource management because of economic reasons, the blame must never go there. Remember that money always comes before environmental concerns. Can't let a good disaster go to waste though, got to use it to push some profit based agenda.

a reply to: MichiganSwampBuck

They always blame 'global warming' instead of 'population' growth. There's over 8 billion people on the planet!

a reply to: WUNK22

The only bug you should and could hate are blood suckers like ticks, fleas or mosquitoes. They don't really serve much purpose other than feed other animals. Spiders are counter measure s to bugs, but GM spider/hornets is something everyone should hate.

originally posted by: TruthxIsxInxThexMist
a reply to: MichiganSwampBuck

They always blame 'global warming' instead of 'population' growth. There's over 8 billion people on the planet!

The only countries that has population country is China, so ya. Imagine a Democratic China that kept breeding. On the other side who do you think grills/BBQ the most using charcoal. You got it America. Its always BBQ day during summer.

More anecdotal but in southern Georgia I can sit on my front porch as the sun goes down and hear the same swamp bugs I heard growing up in Central Florida.

My wag would be that Puerto rico has less room for error being an island and their govt has not exactly been great at taking care of things so it has been hammered with illegal dumpings/spraying etc.

Without bees and other pollinators, crops won't regenerate and or bare fruit.

My mechanical pollen collection and dissemination system could make a big difference down the line.

I developed it on a small scale to help my lady keep her 1/2 acre asparagus garden in production.

pesticides not only kill the bad bugs but the bees as well. Rock/hardplace....

I hope the 420 producers will place bee hives in their fields. It will benefit all farmers plus make a psychedelic honey.

a reply to: olaru12

My mechanical pollen collection and dissemination system could make a big difference down the line.

Like on Black Mirror?

psychedelic honey

Sweet!