Recent Insect Report shows Vast Decline in Biomass

[Fred Kaluza~MI]

I'm sure this is probably responsible for the greatest decline in everything that depends on them for survival. I guess so few people take road trips anymore, there is very little attention drawn to invasive plant and animals. Get in your car and take a two-tank trip to somewhere you haven't been in ten years and realize North America is not the same place you remember it to have been. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/spe ... 17840025f6

[ToyinPA]

I don't need to take a road trip to see the changes. I've been saying, for the last several years, the insects were on a major decline. I first noticed it when my colony had chick after chick dying of starvation. Only a few bringing in dragonflies. Gas companies sucking the creeks & rivers dry for fracking, which harms insect egg laying & hatching. Farms now forced to change how they plant, till (no-till now), fertilize & spray the fields. Since then I've had to supplement feed. Imagine how many martins & their chicks would not make it every year if it weren't for supplement feeding.

There are next to no insects under street lights anymore, very few lightening bugs. June bugs are barely noticeable anymore. We used to have them swarming our houses & lights at night. On a 6 hour road trip only a few splats on the windshield.

When all the insects, especially the bees & other pollinating insects are gone, the birds will follow & then us, as the plant can not survive without them.

Plant native flowers & shrubs, stop trying to have the best weed free lawn, use natural fertilizers (cow/horse/etc.) & with any luck this can be turned around.

Monarch Butterflies are on major decline, but many of us have planted milkweed for the caterpillars & native flowers for them to feed on. This is the first year we have see many of them in our area. I had at least 6 hatch out on my milkweed plants this summer. All it takes is a little effort on our part to help them.

Everyone, even those living in apartments, can make a change. If you have no yard, plant some wild flowers in a pot & set it on your doorstep. If you can't do that check with your community leaders & see if a wild flower garden can be planted near by.

Toy in PA

[Archer]

Isn't it all about habitat? If you do not have a place to live, how can you thrive? Take away the wetlands, and the bugs go with it, so do the ducks, the minnows, the lizards and the crows. Mainstream agriculture, of which I am part of, has drained a lot of swamps. Can't blame people for trying to make a living. As I consider how things have changed, I am surprised by what I find. If I compare the wildlife where I live, to 30 years ago, it isn't all doom and gloom. In fact, we now have Whitetail deer, coyotes, sharp tail grouse, which have moved in. This summer a Bald Eagle has built a nest in the area, Geese and ducks are plentiful. As I become more observant I see species I have never seen before, ever see a Brown Creeper or a Ruby Crowned Kinglet? As farmers, we are very aware of what's on the land. We are reluctant to spray insecticides, but when your livelihood is at risk, you do what you have too. The new plant genetics available help us to use less pesticides in general. Burning crop residue used to be prevalent in this area, thankfully most farms now incorporate residue back into the soil, improving its health and vitality. Some areas are able to use no-till systems which reduce soil erosion from wind and water. In my yard I supply several wood duck nesting boxes which are used every year. One of the boxes this year produced a clutch of over 20 chicks. Last summer I watched a painted turtle lay eggs in my garden, this spring I watched and waited and finally on a warm day in May, a baby turtle poked its head out of the ground. Tree Swallows, Barn Swallows and Martins swarm my yard in summer. Bluebirds have nested locally, which I have never heard of before. I agree with Toy, if you can do something to improve the habitat, please do. Take a 2 mile walk and see what you can see, you might be surprised.