Insect Decline

[Bowsnbucks]

Just a couple days ago, a 20-year university study (don't remember which university) from 2004 to 2024 published its findings. They did insect studies / counts in pristine, undeveloped, wild meadows in Colorado. Insect numbers and species were down 76% in those 20 years!! Not good news for pollination. The studies were conducted in places where human intervention / activity / development would not play a part.

 

[Westwind]

Im really interested in this whole insect thing from a habitat point of view. I started to notice it only because of posters here on H-T.

My plantings have been a variety of soil builder and legumes intensive mixes. One of my plots is 50 yards from my back deck where I spend some time in the evening. That plot had some gamebird mix and some additional flowering species mixed in.

The last two years I have experienced what I think is less mosquitos gnats and biting flies. One very dry summer and one wet summer. I recently tore through that plot and planted my fall mix. As soon as that plot was gone, I have a few mosquitos. Not scientific. Not fact, just what I think.

My wife and I walk in the evening. Our driveway is 900’ long and has warm season grasses on both sides. The din of insects on both sides is really noticeable. Seems like a good thing.

I am in a bullseye for a lot of people getting Lyme. Neither my wife or I have had a tick on us this summer. We usually catch them before they bite when we have got them in the past. I have also engaged in thinning squirrels coons and mice around the house so maybe that makes a difference.

The idea that insects are less prevalent in the middle of nowhere in Colorado does sound like bad news. I know that planting a mix of food plod species, some flowering is something I will absolutely continue to do based on my observations the last couple years.

 

[hunts_with_stick]

How big of an area? What were the collection methods? Was there an increase in spiders, bats, birds, reptiles?

 

[Westwind]

Exactly. Without studying, how do we know.

And in my case, bats have been way down due to some fungus. Just starting to see them again. And we had the cicada explosion last year and quite a few this year. In my case we no longer have a dog. He was a lab that liked to get in the tall stuff and hunt so I’m sure he was bringing ticks to the house. Lots and lots of factors.

I have seen more praying mantis than ever and also seem to have those hummingbird moths more than I remember but that might just be because I’m looking for them.

No way to know for sure what is going on.

 

[hunts_with_stick]

Agreed, I have seen more praying mantis (including lots of babies) this year more than all previous years combined! Less spotted lantern flies

 

[Turkey Creek]

I wonder, just speculation, that maybe areas with high densities of Ag crops have less beneficial insects that maybe take longer to go from an egg to a mature adult than say a mosquito does. Almost zero mosquitos around on the 2 parcels of ground I am routinely on, but no major Ag crops around either. Therefore no need to spray insecticides typically. Up in Nebraska at our farm it is all Ag and the mosquitos were bad last time I was there. Maybe the mosquitos bounce back really fast compared to their predaotory insects after a spray application?

 

[Bowsnbucks]

How big of an area? What were the collection methods? Was there an increase in spiders, bats, birds, reptiles?

I only know the reports said "several pristine, untouched wild meadows in Colorado." I'm sure it was over many acres. The report I saw didn't specify the collection methods, or whether spiders, bats, etc. factored into the numbers. But given the 20-year span of observation over multiple acres, I doubt a few up or down years in bat or spider populations would be decisive factors. Over 1,2, or 3 years - possibly - but 20 years is sufficient time to draw some conclusions.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Exactly. Without studying, how do we know.

And in my case, bats have been way down due to some fungus. Just starting to see them again. And we had the cicada explosion last year and quite a few this year. In my case we no longer have a dog. He was a lab that liked to get in the tall stuff and hunt so I’m sure he was bringing ticks to the house. Lots and lots of factors.

I have seen more praying mantis than ever and also seem to have those hummingbird moths more than I remember but that might just be because I’m looking for them.

No way to know for sure what is going on.

For a university (again, I don't remember which one) to go about conducting a population survey, I highly doubt they went about it haphazardly. In today's climate of doubting all expertise - on any subject matter - one can question if the sky is indeed blue. People that study a particular field all their lives are now considered imbeciles by "regular folk" in the social media universe. For a 20-year study in untouched Colorado mountain meadows .... by undergraduate, post-graduate, and doctoral people - - - I'll trust their findings. 76% decline isn't a couple percentage points either.

Just to play devil's advocate for a minute - how do you know (or anyone know) the bat number decline is from a fungus? How was the testing done? Who did it? In how large of an area was bat testing done? Were any other factors at play when bat numbers declined? Did they really, in fact decline ..... or were we just less vigilant in our observations? Do we trust what our soil-sample-testing folks are telling us?? Is the fertilizer tag on the bags accurate? How do we know the testers are qualified to test fertilizer? (See how this can go on?)

Questioning can go on endlessly, think dog chasing its tail in circles - but we humans have brains, capable of coming to scientific conclusions via rigorous studies. (BTW, bats have been affected by what bat experts call "white-nose" disease. They've done post-mortems on numerous bats to see how and why it spreads from bat to bat. White-nose disease is in bat populations around the country, in several different species of bats.)

 

[Westwind]

Same here. I was saying I was presenting what I think I’m seeing here as scientific fact.