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  • So Long, Bugs....

    Man, this is bad news. And it seems to be something the wife and I have noticed ourselves. For at least the past two summers, we have often said "where the heck are all the insects?" I knew bee colonies were collapsing, and monarch butterflies are so rare to see now, only seen a very few this Autumn, but if this study applies worldwide, it's terrible news...

    https://www.theatlantic.com/science/.../oh-no/543390/

    "The bottles were getting emptier: That was the first sign that something awful was happening.

    Since 1989, scientists from the Entomological Society Krefeld had been collecting insects in the nature reserves and protected areas of western Germany. They set up malaise traps—large tents that funnel any incoming insect upward through a cone of fabric and into a bottle of alcohol. These traps are used by entomologists to collect specimens of local insects, for research or education. “But over the years, [the Krefeld team] realized that the bottles were getting emptier and emptier,” says Caspar Hallmann, from Radboud University.

    By analyzing the Krefeld data—1,503 traps, and 27 years of work—Hallmann and his colleagues have shown that most of the flying insects in this part of Germany are flying no more. Between 1989 and 2016, the average weight of insects that were caught between May and October fell by an astonishing 77 percent. Over the same period, the weight of insects caught in the height of summer, when these creatures should be at their buzziest, fell by 82 percent.

    “We were expecting declines, but the extent of them was tremendous,” says Hans de Kroon, who was involved in analyzing the Krefeld data. “If this was in agricultural settings, we wouldn’t be quite so surprised. But it’s especially alarming that it happened in nature reserves.”

    There have long been signs of such a decline. Studies have also shown that populations of European butterflies have halved since 1990, honeybee colonies have fallen by 59 percent in North American since World War II, and populations of British moths have dropped by 30 percent per decade. But most of these surveys focused on particular groups, whereas Hallmann’s group looked at the entire spectrum of flying insects. “It confirms the widespread, windscreen phenomenon,” he says. “Any truck driver in the developed world will tell you that they used to squash a lot of insects on the windscreen. Now the windscreens stay clean.”

    Three-quarters of flying insects in nature reserves across Germany have vanished in 25 years, with serious implications for all life on Earth, scientists say


    "The abundance of flying insects has plunged by three-quarters over the past 25 years, according to a new study that has shocked scientists.

    Insects are an integral part of life on Earth as both pollinators and prey for other wildlife and it was known that some species such as butterflies were declining. But the newly revealed scale of the losses to all insects has prompted warnings that the world is “on course for ecological Armageddon”, with profound impacts on human society."





    Rhode Island

  • #2
    That sounds very dire Charlie. Have there been any similar studies elsewhere?
    Neither article mentions similar studies in other countries to corroborate the findings.
    Bruce
    In life there are losers and finders. Which one are you?

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    • #3
      Charlie - I read that on the trending news at yahoo and was quite startled. My wife and I have noticed a significant lowering in the number of Lady Bugs we are having. Around this time of year they normally swarm and we'd have millions inside and outside the house. We were getting the house sprayed because they were such a nuisance. But this year I have yet to see one. Hum??
      Pickett/Fentress County, Tn - Any day on this side of the grass is a good day. -Chuck-

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      • #4
        Originally posted by 2ndoldman View Post
        That sounds very dire Charlie. Have there been any similar studies elsewhere?
        Neither article mentions similar studies in other countries to corroborate the findings.
        No, not yet. This study documented the decline by weight, due to the type of trap used, and did not distinguish by species. Also, studies elsewhere will need to be undertaken. I'm wondering if our own anecdotal observations where we live in Rhode Island actually reflects something that may be worldwide. We've seen less then 6 Monarchs this entire Autumn, but we already knew they were endangered. That's well known, as is colony collapse disorder among honey bees. It's the noticeable decline in other flying insects that I immediately thought of when I read of this German study.
        Rhode Island

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        • #5
          Plenty of bugs here in east TN . Black Widow spiders too. Click image for larger version

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          TN formerly CT Visit our store http://stores.arrowheads.com/store.p...m-Trading-Post

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          • #6
            First year in over 20 years that my pond wasn't infested with breeding Southern Toads was this year. Plenty of honeybees and mosquitoes in the yard. City sprays...damn them. More than half of my neighbors have their lawns sprayed with insecticide, fungicide and fertilizers. RoundUp is always on sale at Home Depot. I have never used any insecticide (well...boric acid lol) or non natural fertilizer on my property or in my property. This is why there is poison detected in something like 90% of sampled honey.
            Professor Shellman
            Tampa Bay

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            • #7
              A decline in bugs? Maybe in Germany or else where, that's because they're all over my place! We are having an infestation of swarms of box elders by the thousands!! There's not a Box Elder tree within miles of our house. You can't even go outside! If you do about 20 of these rascals land on ya! The pictures don't show the flying swarms that are outside in the morning. They start going somewhere to nest in the evening, and are right back in swarms in the morning!! Cute little rascals!! Click image for larger version  Name:	DSC07362.JPG Views:	1 Size:	136.0 KB ID:	268792
              Click image for larger version  Name:	DSC07363.JPG Views:	1 Size:	157.0 KB ID:	268793
              http://www.ravensrelics.com/

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              • #8
                When I was a kid I remember seeing fireflies everywhere when it got dark. Nowadays I rarely see them... Pretty scary how little time it can take for something like that to happen.

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                • #9
                  Yesterday the BBC reported a sharp decline in pollinating bugs-- bees, butterflies, moths & wasps. The sixth extinction is excelerating according to scientists monitoring insects & amphibians.
                  Child of the tides

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                  • #10
                    Of course we see insects. I just found it telling that today, for instance, we were pleased, and sad, at the same time, to see a Monarch, maybe about the 6th this Autumn, and saw it as a rare event. It was not many years ago that I posted a thread here of a trip we took to Moonstone Beach, a barrier beach on RI's south coast, where we witnessed part of the migration, flocks of them.

                    But of course we see bugs. We've just noticed an overall decline in flying insects that apparently became noticeable enough to remark upon to each other. We don't even see houseflies anymore. Which is fine, lol. But we pay close attention to the life around us (it's suburbia, not rural), and have really wondered about it. So I did sit up when I saw that study.

                    Having collected fossils my whole life, and loving Earth history, as learned via paleontology, the major extinction events have always been a compelling story to me. I believe 90% of life went in one of them. But I never imagined that when I was in my own sunset years, that scientists would be seeing a 6th major extinction event in the real time of my own life. Sorry to see it. But I know me and the wife are at least keeping a few squirrels alive and well, lol...

                    Researchers talk of ‘biological annihilation’ as study reveals billions of populations of animals have been lost in recent decades
                    Rhode Island

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                    • #11
                      Yep first year our honey bee farmer pulled out of our cabin in Fl . To much insecticide ...
                      sick to hear about the butterflies .
                      on the other hand those Cicadas were out in S Georgia .
                      Man those things are so loud the birds actually take off because they cannot hear their prey ( insects ) to eat .
                      I actually start a count the species and it was way down .
                      went out and bought seed bells everything .
                      Goggled this bug and that’s when I found out about the birds and noise .

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                      • #12
                        Bald Eagle's were not doing good a few decades ago. People figured out DDT was causing problem's with The Egg's. Restriction's or possibly it was outlawed, special breeding and release's and now They are doing much better. I know Bee's aren't Eagle's, but maybe Something like that could help.

                        Like a decade or so ago People were talking about Bee numbers dropping and Cell phone's were being blamed. When cutting Grass I let Bee's finish before going past.
                        I Seen something on tv about invasive giant wasp's being a threat to Bee's.

                        http://joshinmo.weebly.com

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                        • #13
                          There is a region in China known for their delicious pears. Several years ago aggressive use of herbicides & pesticides killed off all their pollinators & is so saturated that any bees imported quickly die as well.
                          So every spring local orchard owners climb ladders & pollinate pear blossoms by hand using fine calligraphy brushes. In rural China where labor is cheap, this may be feasible but arduous. Can you see Americans hand-pollinating our fruits & vegetables?
                          My neighbor had four thriving honey bee hives for years & is now down to one after hive collapse hit him last year.
                          Child of the tides

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                          • #14
                            In my area of Illinois I have seen a resurgence of butterflies, dragonflies and may insects...we had several Praying Mantis this year also. I have a bird bath in the back yard by the woods and Honey Bees were almost emptying it daily. I also had a lot of Bumble Bees...more than I have seen in years. However not as many Yellowjackets or Wasps. Maybe the Bumble Bees chase them away? We do have a lot of flowers and flowering plants in and around our yard and that may contribute to it. There seemed to be about twice the amount of Hummingbirds also this year...
                            The chase is better than the catch...
                            I'm Frank and I'm from the flatlands of N'Eastern Illinois...

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                            • #15
                              I wonder if anyone did a study on birds. It's still warm enough, but I haven't seen a robin, wren, blackbird, cardinal, or any other birds in the last 6 months! We need the birds to eat our bugs! Now what does all this have to do with artifacts!!!
                              http://www.ravensrelics.com/

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                              • CMD
                                CMD commented
                                Editing a comment
                                Has nothing to do with artifacts. Although, there are less of then too. By gum, they're not making 'em anymore! Except on eBay and those kind of venues.

                              • Havenhunter
                                Havenhunter commented
                                Editing a comment
                                One year we lost all the cardinals in our area to some sort of avian virus. It took two years for young cardinals from surrounding areas to repopulate. If an area is being heavily sprayed for mosquitoes, the bug eaters will depart. Same goes if a mast crop fails. It's all about disease, food supply, & habitat destruction.
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