Plummeting insect numbers

I think one issue is that politicians only have the short term in mind with policies and practice. Perhaps its time to vote for a Green party?

We seem to have fewer and fewer takers for our bird food - although there seems to be an increase in magpies, seagulls and pigeons.

to the stupid person I saw being interview on the news when talking about the declining bee population who said ‘that’s ok I don’t eat honey’

It is truly frightening.
The expanding world population demands more and more food which cannot all be produced organically so farmers spray with insecticides - so it is a Catch 22 situation - if the pollinating insects die out then so will we eventually.

I often wonder if the demand for honey is contributing to the decline in the bee population too - if we deprive them of their natural food and give them sugar instead are we causing the disease that is contributing to their decline?

Environmentalists have been worrying about bees for several years, and not being taken seriously.

As soon as girls get an education they naturally have fewer children. That's simplified but roughly true.
In the rich West and in China and India the birth rate is in steady decline but now we worry who will look after us in our old age as we live longer! In Japan they are seriously worried as almost a third of the population is over 65.
I don't worry about mother nature. She'll recover once we've poisoned ourselves though it would be good to think our DGC had a future.

Food chains are everything! If one bit goes AWOL then the rest is jeopardised.

We have to stop wanting & buying stuff! Use less, buy less then the raw materials are less plundered or less land cleared to grow the 'stuff' people demand. It really is selfish to have more that 2 kids! Sorry everyone with more!

This problem was known about when I was a student of Environmental Science. There was a book published in the 60s by Rachel Carson called ‘Silent Spring’. Silent because bird numbers in decline, lack of insects for food.

Culag we got ‘ours’ from a hedgehog rescue. We’ve created a hedgehog highway by cutting small holes at the base of our fence and so have our neighbours. There must be a male around as she had babies in 2017.

Crystalltipps... I belong to the RSPB, our local Wildlife Trust, Greenpeace and the Woodland Trust. They are all FANTASTIC but think if I had to choose one it would be the RSPB. Their magazine is superb.
madmum38 - I can't BELIEVE people on Twitter were laughing. I'm glad I don't use it as I'd have been ranting on forever.........Grrrrhhhh!

The underlying problem, which no politician dares address, is that there are too many people for the planet. The number of people is increasing at an unsustainable rate. There's no doubt that the planet would be much better off with very few or no humans and would gradually recover. I can't see any prospect of that happening so the future looks very bleak.

I'm SO interested in all of this. Was handed a leaflet last week by EXTINCTION REBELLION... look it up on internet.
Nature Studies should be taught in schools. Politicians ignore nature at their peril. People must stop having so many children... there are too many people in the world. I''m glad I was born when I was but worry about my decendants. I am fascinated by the insect world and have bought myself a macro lens so I can start photographing them. Also going to turn my garden into a wildlife garden. We must all do our bit, however small, and HOPE that the powers that be come to their senses. Somehow I'm not optimistic but must try to be.

Sorry ReadyMeals - crossed posts

ReadyMeals - good of you to be honest. But as Anja says, did you think more about it later? We can all do our bit, in our gardens, and with our food buying, but this is a massive issue that needs huge changes to happen in global agriculture and lifestyles. We ignore it at our peril, but perhaps it’s being downplayed in the news, as many global companies profit from producing environmentally unsafe sprays etc?

Unfortunately Anja hedgehogs are in serious decline as well! I wish I had one in my garden as I am overun with snails, but there are a pair of thrushes about so I certainly don't use slug pellets.
Not divergent at all as it is a web or food chain, everything is interrelated.

Hint for making sure my hedgehog eats up those ruddy garden snails and slugs.

In hedgehog season put out a couple of cabbage, lettuce, etc leaves. The outside ones you might be tempted to discard.
Place them in a suitable location or locations at night. Along come your slimey gastropods to feast on these offerings and there my hedgehog and her family find them and eat them.

Proof was firstly slimey trails, nibbled leaves and hedgehog droppings. Then I had this on motion-activated night camera.

Slightly divergent I know but doing my bit for nature.

I do feel very sad about the destruction of wildlife habitats and animals becoming extinct either because of lack of food or being hunted.
Unfortunately this is mostly because of the huge growth in the human population.

I'm doing what I can, by planting bushes, shrubs and flowers that insects like in my garden and not weeding all that often.

If anyone, like my dear friend, mentions the weeds, just say you have joined the society for the propagation of bees, they won't know there isn't one.

DH build an insect hotel in the garden, but I am not sure the rooms are let yet.

It is so scary....hopefully the decline can be stopped....

Anja, I had to acknowledge the usefulness of insects. Sigh...

We can all do a bit. Create an area of wildness in our gardens. This encourages so many insects. Feed the birds. These little changes can make a difference as the more we do so the greater the benefit.

Readymeals and your second thoughts.......??

I'm awful - my first thought on hearing that news was "good!"

What made me specially sad this week was to hear my 6 yr old DGS saying there wouldn't be any humans in the future. He was quite matter-of- fact about it. I said I hoped he would be around and his children. He then went off to play with his Lego.

I was surprised as read the news article on Twitter and was very concerned over it yet most people were laughing and wanted to hurry it up etc. Do these people not realise that all these insects have their own important job to do to help keep this planet going ?

Grrrr...to those lazy people who just spray everything with insecticide, weed killer, throw down slug pellets.

And grrrr....to the stupid person I saw being interview on the news when talking about the declining bee population who said ‘that’s ok I don’t eat honey’.