Lack of insects in gardens

[jaisol]

Umm
I remeber when(40 years) I had to use the windsceen wipers to clear the "bugs" , maybe we should warn our kids. I predict small cockroaches for the uk

Will take bets

Old and grumpy

 

[MichaelJ]

Hi all,
A video from <"Dave Goulson"> from the <"University of Sussex>.



cheers Darrel

Insect populations are declining at an unprecedented rate

The most diverse group of organisms on the planet are in trouble and the consequences could be dire.

www.reuters.com

Cheers,
Michael

 

[greenbliss]

It might be rough. But I know there won't be a massive disaster. I think we will all come together in the nick of time to save all this. I just feel it.

 

[greenbliss]

May I add another thing. I think with the wildflower meadows its worth making a flail on a stick to hit the hay with to knock the seeds out the pods but that might be a bit OCD. Just like threshing wheat in the old days.

 

[mort]

I know Darrel has already mentioned Prof Dave Goulson but he's a bit of a hero of mine and this video is criminally underwatched considering how important the subject is. It really is a eye opening chat that I urge everyone to listen to just for the statistics, like oranges grown with 27 different pesticides and the unsustainable use of pesticides in farming is very disheartening and frightening unbelievable. You'll be concerned after watching it but with hope, rather than negativity.

 

[mort]

I'll also mention while I'm here an observation and hopefully prediction that I have made. It starts in the summer of 21 when we had a really massive population of cinnabar moths locally but since then I haven't seen a single one. In 22 we had the 6 month plus drought and extreme temperatures where all the wild flowers literally fried. It meant that in 23 we had very few ragwort plants and hence no cinnabar caterpillars but this year has had the most ragwort plants I've ever seen and even though the caterpillars were very few and far between, I do predict that their numbers should be bouncing back a little in the next few years if we don't get more extreme conditions.

If you consider all the other biennial/perennial plants that insects rely on that suffered at the same time and more importantly the time it takes for these plants to bounce back, you can see why numbers fluctuate massively.

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

It might be rough. But I know there won't be a massive disaster. I think we will all come together in the nick of time to save all this. I just feel it.

I'm pretty sure that is what the last Mammoth hunters said, just before they killed the last Mammoth.

cheers Darrel

 

[greenbliss]

Hi all,

I'm pretty sure that is what the last Mammoth hunters said, just before they killed the last Mammoth.

cheers Darrel

But now we have iphones to club each other with after it all goes down

 

[greenbliss]

Hi all,

I'm pretty sure that is what the last Mammoth hunters said, just before they killed the last Mammoth.

cheers Darrel

Darrel can I say I somehow appreciate the cynicism

May I ask if this comes from a lifetime of experience?

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

Darrel can I say I somehow appreciate the cynicism

May I ask if this comes from a lifetime of experience?

No, I've never killed a mammoth.

But in the past I've eaten plenty of Grey Partridge, Cod, European Eels and White-clawed Crayfish......

Cheers Darrel

 

[greenbliss]

I used to like eating things like that

Who knows... You could kill a mammoth one day....

Pleistocene Park

these people want to bring back mammoths somehow...