The Elephant
The climate change and environmental emergency: a comprehensive resource for journalists, politicians, policy makers, activists and citizens
The ElephantThe climate change and environmental emergency: a comprehensive resource for journalists, politicians, policy makers, activists and citizens
The collapse of insects
2023-05-28 (or before) in ReutersThe most diverse group of organisms on the planet are in trouble and the consequences could be dire.
Tagged under: Insects | Collapse
SITC calls for new Government focus and support on halting the decline of insects and other invertebrates across the UK - Committees - UK Parliament
2024-08-30 (or before) in UK Parliament CommitteesIn today’s report on insect decline and food security, the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee calls for “effective and sustainable crop protection strategies to be demonstrated at a commercial scale” and for Government to begin to more strongly support the development, regulation and practical application of pesticide alternatives.
Tagged under: Insects
Tropical beetles more sensitive to impacts are less likely to be known to science
2024-08-30 (or before) in ScienceDirect.comInsects are posited to be declining globally. This is particularly pertinent in tropical forests, which exhibit both the highest levels of biodiversit…
Tagged under: Insects
Where have all the insects gone?
2024-08-26 (or before) in Financial TimesTagged under: Insects
‘This year has been dead’: where have Britain’s insects gone?
2024-08-15 in The GuardianSurveys suggest that wet weather and habitat deterioration are among the causes of devastating population declines, but there are ways to help
Tagged under: Insects | Butterflies and Moths
Are some of your household products killing insects and wildlife?
2024-08-09 in The GuardianFlea treatments for dogs, ant killer, washing-up liquid and herbicides may be partly to blame for decline in UK
Tagged under: Insects
All-night streetlights make leaves inedible to insects, study finds
2024-08-05 in The GuardianScientists believe artificial light may be affecting natural ecology of plant life by creating extended photosynthesis
Tagged under: Insects | Insect Populations
Insect pollinators: The time is now for identifying species of greatest conservation need
2024-08-05 (or before) in wildlife.onlinelibrary.wiley.comRelatively few pollinating insects have appeared as Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) in State Wildlife Action Plans, decadal-scale blueprints for wildlife conservation efforts across the ...
Tagged under: Conservation | Bees | Insects
Court Rejects Federal Pesticide-Spraying Program on Millions of Acres of Western Rangelands
2024-08-02 in Center for Biological DiversityPORTLAND, Ore.— The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation and the Center for Biological Diversity won a lawsuit today against the federal Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service over its program allowing insecticide spraying on millions of acres in 17 western states to kill native grasshoppers and crickets.
Tagged under: Insects
Dramatic decline in insect populations over last 50 years, study finds | ITV News
2024-08-02 in ITVThe study tests the number of different insects present on cereal crops which overall has revealed that numbers have dropped. | ITV News Meridian
Tagged under: Insects
‘Warning sign to us all’ as UK butterfly numbers hit record low
2024-07-29 in The GuardianConservation charity raises alarm over climate crisis after wet spring and summer dampen mating chances
Tagged under: Insects | Butterflies and Moths
Something has gone wrong for insects, says Cambridgeshire charity
2024-07-25 in The BBCA conservation charity says that humans and other life forms could not survive without bugs.
Tagged under: Insects
‘It’s really scary’: How rat poisons are wreaking havoc on raptors and other wildlife
2024-07-25 (or before) in Science | AAASSupertoxic rodenticides can accumulate in birds, mammals, and insects, even killing some. Scientists want to understand the damage—and limit it
Tagged under: Insects | Birds | Agriculture | Pollution
Country diary: An alarmingly bad day searching for butterflies | Jennifer Jones
2024-07-20 in The GuardianGreen Beach, Sefton coast, Merseyside: It was a glorious day in a biodiversity hotspot that’s full of different habitats – where were they all?
Tagged under: Insects | Butterflies and Moths
Light pollution is a driver of insect declines
2024-07-17 (or before) in ScienceDirect.comInsects around the world are rapidly declining. Concerns over what this loss means for food security and ecological communities have compelled a growi…
Tagged under: Insects
Where are all the butterflies this summer? Their absence is telling us something important | Tony Juniper
2024-07-13 in The GuardianThis isn’t down to one wet, cold British spring but a disturbing longer-term decline in Britain’s insects. Thankfully, we can help, says the campaigner Tony Juniper
Tagged under: Bees | Insects | Butterflies and Moths
Air pollution threatens key crop pollinators, study finds
2024-07-11 by in thenewlede.orgBy Shannon Kelleher Air pollution jeopardizes bees and other pollinators essential for food production, according to a new study that sheds light on a significant but underrecognized threat to beneficial insects. In a study published Thursday in the journal Nature Communications, researchers found that bees, as well as some moths and butterflies, became about a third less efficient at foraging for food, on average, after exposure to elevated air pollution levels. The findings were based on an analysis of data from 120 scientific papers on how 40 types of insects respond to ozone, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide and parti...
Tagged under: Bees | Insects | Butterflies and Moths
‘I have seen the decline’: pesticides linked to falling UK insect numbers
2024-06-19 in The GuardianExperts say invertebrates are exposed to range of chemicals, some of which are 10,000 times more toxic than DDT
Tagged under: Insects
Wildlife experts urge action on pesticides as UK insect populations plummet
2024-06-14 in The GuardianCampaigners say next government must reduce use and toxicity of pesticides before it is too late
Tagged under: Insects
The end of the great northern forests? The tiny tree-killing beetle wreaking havoc on our ancient giants
2024-06-05 in The GuardianForests across Europe, the US and Canada have been hard hit by drought, fires and bark beetles. Now scientists fear the northern hemisphere’s greatest carbon sink is nearing a tipping point
Tagged under: Tipping Points | Insects | Collapse | Drought
Swallow, swift and house martin populations have nearly halved, finds UK bird survey
2024-05-16 in The GuardianReduction in insect numbers contributes to drop, and there are declines across more than a third of bird species surveyed
Tagged under: Insects
Scientists reveal "major" new factor in bumblebee decline
2024-05-03 in NewsweekA study found that bumblebee nests may be getting too hot, and the species are struggling to thermoregulate these temperatures.
‘Bug splat’ survey shows 78% decline in flying insects in two decades | The Independent
2024-04-23 in The IndependentThe citizen science project asks people to record the number of flying insects that are squashed on their car number plates after a drive.
Tagged under: Insects
The shrill carder: once-common bumblebee heading for extinction
2024-04-11 in The GuardianBombus sylvarum is now found in only a few pockets as intensive farming destroys UK wildflower habitats
Tagged under: Bees | Insects | Extinction
Effects of climate change on Lepidoptera pollen loads and their pollination services in space and time - Oecologia
2024-03-25 in Springer VerlagShifts in flowering time among plant communities as a result of climate change, including extreme weather events, are a growing concern. These plant phenological changes may affect the quantity and quality of food sources for specialized insect pollinators. Plant–pollinator interactions are threatened by habitat alterations and biodiversity loss, and changes in these interactions may lead to declines in flower visitors and pollination services. Most prior research has focused on short-term plant–pollinator interactions, which do not accurately capture changes in pollination services. Here, we characterized long-term ...
Tagged under: Insects | Biodiversity Loss | Butterflies and Moths | Drought
Climate change is warping the seasons
2024-03-06 by in The ConversationA new series will investigate what’s happening to nature’s calendar.
Tagged under: Insects | Wildlife | Agriculture | Climate Change | Climate Change Impacts
On‐site floral resources and surrounding landscape characteristics impact pollinator biodiversity at solar parks
2024-03-04 (or before) in British Ecological Society JournalsAbstract There is increasing land use change for solar parks and growing recognition that they could be used to support insect pollinators. However, understanding of pollinator response to solar pa...
Tagged under: Agriculture | Insects | Solar Energy
Weatherwatch: how solar farms benefit bees and butterflies
2024-03-01 in The GuardianResearch shows pollinating insects thrive in solar parks, particularly where a variety of plants are flourishing
Tagged under: Insects | Bees | Butterflies and Moths
Climate change may cause crisis amid important insect populations, researchers say - CBS News
2024-02-24 in CBS NewsScientists estimate that 40% of insect species are in decline, and a third are endangered.
Tagged under: Insects | Insect Populations
Worst fall armyworm incursion on record costing farmers millions - ABC News
2024-02-14 in ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)The invasive insect causes millions of dollars in losses across Australia's summer crop-growing regions.
Tagged under: Farming | Insects
Climate change causing 60% of plants and insects to fall out of sync
2023-12-12 in Phys.org - News and Articles on Science and TechnologySeasonal timings of plants are advancing an average of four times faster than insects, throwing key interactions like pollination out of sync. This is according to new findings from researchers at the University of Oxford and Chinese Academy of Sciences that will be presented at the British Ecological Society Annual Meeting in held Belfast December 12–15.
Tagged under: Insects
Food, soil, water: how the extinction of insects would transform our planet
2023-11-10 in The GuardianA new study doubles the number of species at risk of extinction to 2m, driven by the latest data on insects. Losing these tiny creatures would have huge implications for life on Earth
Tagged under: Drought | Farming | Rivers | Wildlife | Insects | Extinction
Beekeepers stung by wettest July on record
2023-09-18 (or before) in Belfast TelegraphBeekeepers are counting the cost of freak summer weather that left the insects and locally produced honey at risk.
Red fire ant colonies found in Italy and could spread across Europe, says study
2023-09-11 in The GuardianResearchers identify 88 nests of destructive invasive non-native species near Syracuse in Sicily
Tagged under: Farming | Wildlife | Insects
Sharp rise in Asian hornet sightings in UK causes alarm
2023-08-17 in The GuardianWildlife experts fear spread could devastate native bees, which the hornets dismember and eat
Tagged under: Wildlife | Insects | Bees
Insect apocalypse
2023-08-15 (or before) in Princeton University PressInsects underpin almost all terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems. But in the last few decades, populations all over the world have collapsed with terrifying speed.
Tagged under: Insects | Insect Populations | Collapse
Recent and future declines of a historically widespread pollinator linked to climate, land cover, and pesticides | Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
2023-07-14 (or before) in PNAS - Proceedings of the National Academy of ScienceThe acute decline in global biodiversity includes not only the loss of rare species, but also the rapid collapse of common species across many diff...
Tagged under: Climate Change | Bees | Insects | Collapse | Biodiversity Loss
Bee Population Decline
2023-07-14 (or before) in osu.eduLooking for the latest buzz on how to help the bees? Look no further.
Tagged under: Insect Populations | Bees | Insects
US honeybees suffer second deadliest season on record
2023-06-23 in The GuardianNearly 50% of US bee colonies died off last year, although efforts have helped the overall bee population remain ‘relatively stable’
Tagged under: Wildlife | Bees | Insects
Insect decline a threat to fruit crops and food security, scientists warn MPs
2023-06-07 in The GuardianPoor pollination caused by destructive farming methods leads to loss of biodiversity and is a threat to food production, inquiry told
Tagged under: Farming | Wildlife | Insects | Food Production and Consumption | Biodiversity Loss
Europe has lost over half a billion birds in 40 years. The single biggest cause? Pesticides and fertilisers
2023-06-01 by in The ConversationInsect-eating birds such as swifts and yellow wagtails are particularly vulnerable.
Tagged under: Insects
The collapse of insects
2023-05-28 (or before) in ReutersThe most diverse group of organisms on the planet are in trouble and the consequences could be dire.
Tagged under: Insects | Collapse
Why the climate crisis is making our insects run for the hills
2023-05-28 in The GuardianAround the world, different species are shifting their habitats upwards, with potentially catastrophic results for our ecosystems
Tagged under: Wildlife | Insects
Accelerating declines of North America’s shorebirds signal the need for urgent conservation action
2023-05-19 (or before) in Oxford AcademicAbstract. Shorebirds are declining to a greater extent than many other avian taxa around the world. In North America, shorebirds, along with aerial insectivores
Melting glaciers in Alps threaten biodiversity of invertebrates, says study
2023-05-04 in The GuardianOverlooked animals vital for alpine ecosystems might lose most of their habitat and disappear, research suggests
Tagged under: Insects
How Britain is losing essential hedgerows in the midst of a biodiversity crisis
2023-04-27 in Channel 4They are a symbol of the British landscape - a rich tapestry of nature, home to birds, to insects and to flowers. But hedges are under threat and new figures seen exclusively by this programme reveal the full extent of the destruction. So who's doing it - and who's fighting…
Tagged under: Insects
"We Are Going To Run Out Of Food" - 7 Reasons There's Going To Be A Global Famine
2023-04-25 in Collapse MusingsIt is now a certainty that there is going to be a global famine in the near future. Here's why.
Tagged under: Famine and Food Insecurity | Insects | Collapse
UK's flying insects have declined by 60% in 20 years
2023-04-10 (or before) in The Natural History Museum, LondonThe UK's insect population has fallen sharply as the invertebrates are affected by rising temperatures and fragmented habitats.
Tagged under: Insects
Decline in insect populations - Wikipedia
2023-04-10 (or before) in WikipediaTagged under: Insects | Insect Populations
Air pollution hindering mating of fruit flies by reducing output of male scent
2023-03-14 in The GuardianStudy shows high ozone levels make males emit fewer pheromones to attract females, which may lead to population decline
Tagged under: Insects
About Neonicotinoids - Pesticide Action Network UK
2023-02-07 (or before) in Pesticide Action NetworkNeonicotinoids are powerful, systemic insecticides and are thought to be connected to the recent declines in bee populations.
Tagged under: Insects | Insect Populations
Insects contribute to atmospheric electricity
2023-01-16 (or before) in Phys.org - News and Articles on Science and TechnologyBy measuring the electrical fields near swarming honeybees, researchers have discovered that insects can produce as much atmospheric electric charge as a thunderstorm cloud. This type of electricity helps shape weather events, aids insects in finding food, and lifts spiders up in the air to migrate over large distances. The research, appearing on October 24 in the journal iScience, demonstrates that living things can have an impact on atmospheric electricity.
Tagged under: Insects | Electricity
Honey bee life spans are 50 percent shorter today than they were 50 years ago: A drop in longevity for lab-kept honey bees could help explain colony losses and lower honey production in recent decades
2022-12-23 (or before) in Science DailyA new study by entomologists shows that the lifespan for individual honey bees kept in a controlled, laboratory environment is 50% shorter than it was in the 1970s. As the first study to show an overall decline in honey bee lifespan potentially independent of environmental stressors, this work hints that genetics may be influencing the broader trends of higher colony turnover rates seen in the beekeeping industry.
Tagged under: Butterflies and Moths | Bees | Insects | Food Production and Consumption
The collapse of insects
2022-12-07 (or before) in ReutersThe most diverse group of organisms on the planet are in trouble and the consequences could be dire.
Tagged under: Insects | Collapse
Scientists warn of 'insect apocalypse' amid climate change
2022-10-26 (or before) in Phys.org - News and Articles on Science and TechnologyAn emerging "insect apocalypse" will have radical effects on the environment and humankind, an Australian scientist has warned.
Tagged under: Climate Change | Insects
Climate crisis poses ‘growing threat’ to health in UK, says expert
2022-10-23 in The GuardianExclusive: Prof Dame Jenny Harries warns of dangers to food security, flooding and insect-borne diseases
Tagged under: Extreme Weather | Climate Change | Insects | Health
Pesticide use around world almost doubles since 1990, report finds
2022-10-18 in The GuardianAgricultural chemicals drive falls of 30% in populations of field birds and butterflies, says Pesticide Atlas
Tagged under: Farming | Wildlife | Butterflies and Moths | Insects | Insect Populations
Wax worm saliva rapidly breaks down plastic bags, scientists discover
2022-10-04 in The GuardianIts enzymes degrade polyethylene within hours at room temperature and could ‘revolutionise’ recycling
Tagged under: Insects
Ants can be better than pesticides for growing healthy crops, study finds
2022-08-17 in The GuardianHarnessing natural insect power can. with proper management, have higher efficacy than resorting to harmful chemicals
Tagged under: Farming | Wildlife | Insects | Health
Glyphosate weedkiller damages wild bee colonies, study reveals
2022-06-02 in The GuardianMost widely used pesticide in history harms critical ability of bumblebee to regulate nest temperature
Tagged under: Farming | Wildlife | Bees | Insects
The world's insect populations are plummeting everywhere we look
2022-05-30 (or before) in The Natural History Museum, LondonCrashing numbers will have serious implications for our future.
Tagged under: Insects | Insect Populations
Buglife - The Invertebrate Conservation Trust
2022-05-05 (or before) in buglife.org.ukBuglife - The Invertebrate Conservation Trust is a charity dedicated to conservation, education and policy change to protect insects, bugs and invertebrates
Tagged under: Insects
Flying insect numbers have plunged by 60% since 2004, GB survey finds
2022-05-05 in The GuardianScientists behind survey of car number plates said drop was ‘terrifying’, as life on Earth depends on insects
Tagged under: Wildlife | Insects
Fact Sheet: Global Species Decline - Earth Day
2022-03-18 by in Earth DayThe world is facing a mass extinction of species. All species of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, arthropods (insects and arachnids), fish, crustaceans, corals and other cnidarians, and plants have declined, in many cases, severely. Human civilization has had a negative impact on most living things. We are currently living through a mass species extinction […]
Tagged under: Fish | Insects | Coral Reefs | Extinction
UK overrules scientific advice by lifting ban on bee-harming pesticide
2022-03-01 in The GuardianCampaigners aghast as emergency exemption on use of thiamethoxam granted due to risk to sugar beet crop
Tagged under: Farming | Wildlife | Bees | Insects
Lake Malawi's Fish Defy Death - While Their World Heritage Home Is Threatened | We Don't Have Time
2022-02-28 (or before) in app.wedonthavetime.orgBy Jeffrey Barbee January 27, 2022 In the shallow rocky waters below a high granite outcrop a fish lies sideways, fallen onto the sand below. Its skin the hue of a rotting corpse, the fish is unmoving, apparently dead. But looks can be deceiving. As scavenger fish approach, the play-dead fish springs into action, snapping up the would-be eaters in a flurry of motion. One of hundreds of new fish species discovered in the warm waters of Lake Malawi in the last four decades, the play-dead fish’s only home is now in danger of being destroyed. Play dead fish Nimbochromis livingstonii. Picture: Ken McKaye/allianceearth.org Lake...
Tagged under: Deforestation | Extreme Weather | Africa | Fish | Rivers | Insects | Legislation | Electricity | Health | Trees | Finance
Researchers warn of looming 'insect apocalypse' under current conservation rules
2022-02-04 (or before) in The National | Scottish NewsCURRENT UK conservation policies fail to protect important insect species 'vital for our everyday lives and future existence’, according to new…
Tagged under: Insects
How the speed of climate change is unbalancing the insect world
2022-01-11 in The GuardianThe long read: The pace of global heating is forcing insect populations to move and adapt – and some aggressive species are thriving
Tagged under: Climate Change | Insects | Insect Populations
Being Serious about Saving Bees
2021-12-28 (or before) in USDAPollinators are a vital part of agricultural production. In the United States, more than one-third of all crop production – 90 crops ranging from nuts to berries to flowering vegetables - requires insect pollination. Managed honey bee colonies are our primary pollinators, adding at least $15 billion a year by increasing yields and helping to ensure superior-quality harvests.
Direct pesticide exposure of insects in nature conservation areas in Germany - Scientific Reports
2021-12-16 (or before) in NatureIn Germany, the decline of insect biomass was observed in nature conservation areas in agricultural landscapes. One of the main causal factors discussed is the use of synthetic pesticides in conventional agriculture. In a Germany-wide field study, we collected flying insects using Malaise traps in nature conservation areas adjacent to agricultural land. We used a multi-component chemical trace element analysis to detect 92 common agricultural pesticides in ethanol from insect traps sampled in May and August 2020. In total, residues of 47 current use pesticides were detected, and insect samples were on average contaminated with 1...
Tagged under: Germany | Insects
Insect decline in the Anthropocene: Death by a thousand cuts
2021-12-14 (or before) in PNAS - Proceedings of the National Academy of ScienceNature is under siege. In the last 10,000 y the human population has grown from 1 million to 7.8 billion. Much of Earth’s arable lands are already in agriculture (1), millions of acres of tropical forest are cleared each year (2, 3), atmospheric CO2 levels are at their highest concentrations in more than 3 million y (4), and climates are erratically and steadily changing from pole to pole, triggering unprecedented droughts, fires, and floods across continents. Indeed, most biologists agree that the world has entered its sixth mass extinction event, the first since the end of the Cretaceous Period 66 million y ago, when mor...
Tagged under: Extinction Rebellion | Drought | Forest Fires | Insects | Trees | Extinction
[PDF] Discrepancy between acute and chronic toxicity induced by imidacloprid and its metabolites in Apis mellifera. | Semantic Scholar
2021-11-22 (or before) in Semantic Scholar | AI-Powered Research ToolOral acute and chronic toxicity of imidacloprid and its main metabolites and their main metabolites were investigated in Apis mellifera to show the rapid appearance of neurotoxicity symptoms, such as hyperresponsiveness, hyperactivity, and trembling and led to hyporesponsiveness and hypoactivity. Imidacloprid is a systemic nitroguanidine insecticide that belongs to the neonicotinoid family. As an agonist of the acetylcholine receptor, it attacks the insect nervous system and is extremely effective against various sucking and mining pests. Oral acute and chronic toxicity of imidacloprid and its main metabolites (5-hydroxyimidaclo...
Pesticide and resource stressors additively impair wild bee reproduction | Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
2021-11-22 (or before) in Royal Society PublishingBees and other beneficial insects experience multiple stressors within agricultural landscapes that act together to impact their health and diminish their ability to deliver the ecosystem services on which human food supplies depend. Disentangling the ...
Tagged under: Bees | Insects | Health
Bees may take generations to recover from one exposure to insecticides
2021-11-22 in The GuardianStudy shows reduced reproduction and other negative impacts on performance of species
Tagged under: Farming | Wildlife | Bees | Insects
Butterflies released in Finland contained parasitic wasps – with more wasps inside
2021-09-14 in The GuardianIntroduction of Glanville fritillary leads to emergence of three new species on to Baltic Sea island
Tagged under: Wildlife | Butterflies and Moths | Insects
How to avoid greenwashing and harmful pesticides in lawn care - EHN
2021-08-26 in Environmental Health NewsNatural. Holistic. Eco-friendly. What do these terms mean when it comes to landscaping and lawn care?
Tagged under: Insects
LED streetlights decimating moth numbers in England
2021-08-25 in The Guardian‘Eco-friendly’ lights found to be worse than sodium ones – but both contribute to insect decline, says study
Tagged under: Wildlife | Butterflies and Moths | Insects
The insect apocalypse: ‘Our world will grind to a halt without them’
2021-07-25 in The GuardianInsects have declined by 75% in the past 50 years – and the consequences may soon be catastrophic. Biologist Dave Goulson reveals the vital services they perform
Tagged under: Wildlife | Butterflies and Moths | Bees | Insects
‘Honeybees are voracious’: is it time to put the brakes on the boom in beekeeping?
2021-07-24 in The GuardianThe number of beehives in Britain’s cities is growing rapidly, putting pressure on native bees ‘that really need our help’, say scientists and experienced beekeepers
Tagged under: Wildlife | Bees | Insects
Banned pesticide blamed for killing bees may be approved for fish farms
2021-05-27 in The GuardianGovernment agency appears to support introduction of system which uses insecticide US termed an ‘environmental hazard’
Tagged under: Farming | Fish | Wildlife | Bees | Insects
The projected effect on insects, vertebrates, and plants of limiting global warming to 1.5°C rather than 2°C
2021-03-10 (or before) in Science | AAASLimiting global warming to 1.5°C protects against half of the risks of 2°C warming for plants and vertebrates and two-thirds of the risks to insects.
Tagged under: Insects
Butterfly numbers plummeting in US west as climate crisis takes toll
2021-03-04 in The GuardianThe total number of butterflies west of the Rockies has fallen 1.6% a year since 1977, a study finds – ‘You extrapolate it and it’s crazy’
Tagged under: Wildlife | Butterflies and Moths | Insects
The State Of Britain's Moths
2021-03-03 (or before) in Butterfly ConservationThe State of Britain’s Larger Moths 2021 report is now available. This new report summarises current knowledge of the state of Britain’s c.900 species of larger moths, presenting analyses of long-term change based on millions of records gathered through the Rothamsted Insect Survey (RIS) and National Moth Recording Scheme (NMRS). Key findings: The total abundance of larger moths caught in the RIS light-trap network in Britain decreased by 33% over 50 years (1968–2017). Losses were greater in the southern half of Britain (39% decrease) than in the northern half (22%). Long-term abundance ...
Tagged under: Climate Change | Wildlife | Butterflies and Moths | Insects | Biodiversity Loss
'Bee-killing' pesticide now will not be used on UK sugar beet fields
2021-03-03 in The GuardianGovernment gave emergency authorisation to a neonicotinoid earlier this year - but says chemical was not needed
Tagged under: Farming | Wildlife | Bees | Insects
'A cause for worry': Mexico's monarch butterflies drop by 26% in year
2021-02-25 in The GuardianButterflies had bad year after four times as many trees were lost to illegal logging and extreme climate conditions
Tagged under: Wildlife | Butterflies and Moths | Insects | Mexico | Trees
A quarter of all known bee species haven't been seen since the 1990s
2021-01-23 (or before) by in New ScientistInsect populations suffering death by 1,000 cuts, say scientists
2021-01-11 in The Guardian‘Frightening’ global decline is ‘tearing apart tapestry of life’, with climate crisis a critical concern
Tagged under: Wildlife | Insects | Insect Populations
Discovery of 'cryptic species' shows Earth is even more biologically diverse
2020-12-25 in The GuardianExcitement as DNA barcoding technique leads to unmasking of new species tempered with fear that some are already at risk of extinction
Tagged under: Wildlife | Butterflies and Moths | Insects | Extinction
An international effort to understand cycad pollinators
2020-10-30 (or before) in Phys.org - News and Articles on Science and TechnologyUniversity of Guam researchers continue to expand knowledge of a unique group of plants called cycads. The world's contemporary cycad plants depend on small insects for pollination services. The Guam team's 2017 discovery of the new Cycadophila samara beetle and its pollination of cycads is now contributing to an international effort to more fully understand the intimate relationship between plant and insect.
Tagged under: Insects
Record low number of British butterflies baffles scientists
2020-09-28 in The GuardianAnnual Big Butterfly Count shows big falls in peacocks and small tortoiseshells
Tagged under: Wildlife | Butterflies and Moths | Insects
Halve UK pesticide use to save insects, say conservationists
2020-07-08 in The GuardianWildlife Trusts report also calls for expansion of projects such as flower-rich road verges and butterfly reintroductions
Tagged under: Farming | Wildlife | Butterflies and Moths | Bees | Insects
‘Murder hornets’: race to protect North America's honeybees from giant invader
2020-06-25 in The GuardianAmateur beekeepers and scientists do ‘the whole CSI thing’ to stem the feared onslaught
Tagged under: Wildlife | Bees | Insects
Agribusiness drives severe decline of essential insects | Climate & Capitalism
2020-06-10 in Climate & Capitalism | An ecosocialist journal edited by Ian AngusFour million tonnes of poison a year, most produced by four agribusiness giants, are killing essential insects everywhere. One-third of species face extinction.
Tagged under: Capitalism | Insects | Extinction
Meta-analysis reveals declines in terrestrial but increases in freshwater insect abundances
2020-04-25 (or before) in Science | AAASGlobal changes in insect populations reflect both decline and growth.
Tagged under: Insects | Insect Populations
Nutrient dilution and climate cycles underlie declines in a dominant insect herbivore
2020-04-25 (or before) in PNAS - Proceedings of the National Academy of ScienceParsing variation in long-term patterns underlying insect abundances and assigning mechanisms are critical in light of recent reports of dramatic insect declines. Grasshopper abundances in a North American prairie exhibited both 5-y cycles and >2%/y declines over the past 20 y. Large-scale climate oscillations predicted the cycles in grasshopper abundances. Moreover, plant biomass doubled over the same period—likely due to changes in climate and increasing atmospheric CO2—diluting the concentrations in plant tissue of key nutrients which in turn predicted the declines of a dominant herbivore. Nutrient dilution, li...
Tagged under: Predictions | Climate Change | Insects | Insect Populations
Insect numbers down 25% since 1990, global study finds
2020-04-23 in The GuardianScientists say insects are vital and the losses worrying, with accelerating declines in Europe called ‘shocking’
Tagged under: Wildlife | Insects | Biodiversity Loss
Scientists' warning to humanity on insect extinctions
2020-02-20 (or before) in ScienceDirect.comHere we build on the manifesto ‘World Scientists’ Warning to Humanity, issued by the Alliance of World Scientists. As a group of conservation biologis…
Tagged under: Insects | Extinction
Bees may struggle in winds caused by global warming, study finds
2020-02-18 in The GuardianExperiment revealed increased wind speeds reduced the efficiency of their foraging
Tagged under: Wildlife | Bees | Insects
River insects and lichens bucking trend of wildlife losses
2020-02-17 in The GuardianReductions in air and water pollution are most likely reason, say scientists
Tagged under: Rivers | Wildlife | Insects
Car ‘splatometer’ tests reveal huge decline in number of insects
2020-02-12 in The GuardianResearch shows abundance at sites in Europe has plunged by up to 80% in two decades
Tagged under: Wildlife | Insects
Bumblebees' decline points to mass extinction – study
2020-02-06 in The GuardianPopulations disappearing in areas where temperatures are getting hotter, scientists say
Tagged under: Wildlife | Bees | Insects | Insect Populations | Extinction
Beetles and fire kill dozens of 'indestructible' giant sequoia trees
2020-01-18 in The GuardianDeadly interaction between insects, drought and fire damage have forced California’s park officials to trigger climate crisis plans intended for the 2050s
Tagged under: Extreme Weather | Wildfires | Drought | Insects | California | Trees
Immediate, science-based community action can stop insect decline
2020-01-06 (or before) in Phys.org - News and Articles on Science and TechnologyThis year, German environmentalists collected 1.75 million signatures for a 'save the bees' law requiring an immediate transition toward organic farming. But to create healthy ecosystems worldwide, people in communities across the globe will need to take similar action based on empathy for insects—and not only for bees and butterflies—according to entomologists Yves Basset from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and Greg Lamarre from the University of South Bohemia, writing in Science. The authors present immediate, science-based actions to mitigate insect decline.
Tagged under: Farming | Butterflies and Moths | Bees | Insects | Health
Urgent new ‘roadmap to recovery’ could reverse insect apocalypse
2020-01-06 in The GuardianPhasing out synthetic pesticides and fertilisers and aggressive emission reductions among series of solutions outlined by scientists
Tagged under: Wildlife | Insects
Researchers united on international road map to insect recovery
2020-01-06 (or before) in Phys.org - News and Articles on Science and TechnologyIt's no secret that many insects are struggling worldwide. But we could fix these insects' problems, according to more than 70 scientists from 21 countries. Their road map to insect conservation and recovery is published in Nature Ecology & Evolution this week. From urgent 'no-regret' solutions to long-term global comparisons.
Tagged under: Insects
Robust evidence of declines in insect abundance and biodiversity
2019-11-27 (or before) in NatureData are mounting that document widespread insect losses. A long-term research project now provides the strongest evidence of this so far, and demonstrates the value of standardized monitoring programmes. Long-term standardized monitoring reveals the scale of biodiversity losses.
Tagged under: Insects | Biodiversity Loss
Light pollution is key 'bringer of insect apocalypse'
2019-11-22 in The GuardianExclusive: scientists say bug deaths can be cut by switching off unnecessary lights
Tagged under: Wildlife | Insects
‘Insect apocalypse’ poses risk to all life on Earth, conservationists warn
2019-11-13 in The GuardianReport claims 400,000 insect species face extinction amid heavy use of pesticides
Tagged under: Farming | Wildlife | Insects | Extinction
Fishery collapse ‘confirms Silent Spring pesticide prophecy'
2019-10-31 in The GuardianCommon pesticides found to starve fish ‘astoundingly fast’ by killing aquatic insects
Tagged under: Farming | Insect Populations | Fish | Pesticides | Wildlife | Insects | Collapse
The butterfly effect: what one species’ miraculous comeback can teach us
2019-05-27 in The GuardianThe Duke of Burgundy is back from the brink – and the work to conserve it has helped other declining species. Does this mean there is hope in the face of Insectageddon?
Tagged under: Wildlife | Butterflies and Moths | Insects
Humanity must save insects to save ourselves, leading scientist warns
2019-05-07 in The GuardianInsects are ‘the glue in nature’, says Anne Sverdrup-Thygeson, underpinning the food and water we rely on
Tagged under: Wildlife | Insects
Butterfly numbers fall by 84% in Netherlands over 130 years – study
2019-04-01 by Patrick Barkham in The GuardianEuropean insect populations shrink as farming leaves ‘hardly any room for nature’
Tagged under: Farming | Agriculture | Biodiversity Loss | Insect Populations | Butterflies and Moths | Wildlife | Insects
Widespread losses of pollinating insects revealed across Britain
2019-03-26 in The GuardianWild bees and hoverflies lost from a quarter of the places they were found in 1980, study shows
Tagged under: Farming | Wildlife | Bees | Insects
Buy organic food to help curb global insect collapse, say scientists
2019-02-13 in The GuardianUrging political action on pesticide use is another way to help stem ‘collapse of nature’
Tagged under: Farming | Wildlife | Insects | Collapse
Plummeting insect numbers 'threaten collapse of nature'
2019-02-10 in The GuardianExclusive: Insects could vanish within a century at current rate of decline, says global review
Tagged under: Wildlife | Insects | Collapse
Plummeting insect numbers 'threaten collapse of nature'
2019-02-10 in The GuardianExclusive: Insects could vanish within a century at current rate of decline, says global review
Tagged under: Wildlife | Insects | Collapse
Insect collapse: ‘We are destroying our life support systems’ | Insects | The Guardian
2019-01-15 (or before) in The GuardianScientist Brad Lister returned to Puerto Rican rainforest after 35 years to find 98% of ground insects had vanished
Tagged under: Rainforests | Insects | Collapse
The Insect Apocalypse Is Here (Published 2018)
2018-11-27 in The New York TimesTagged under: Insects
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