Insect Apocalypse?

[NH Homesteader]

This is a long but intriguing read

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/27/...VuF891oZTocJ3iII4cl60FcEdA9fzlpcJffV4EdDdIa44

 

[frustratedearthmother]

I know the article is about the decline of insects...and the decline in numbers they are talking about is absolutely mind-boggling.

This really hit me though:
It is estimated that, since 1970, Earth’s various populations of wild land animals have lost, on average, 60 percent of their members. Zeroing in on the category we most relate to, mammals, scientists believe that for every six wild creatures that once ate and burrowed and raised young, only one remains. What we have instead is ourselves. A study published this year in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that if you look at the world’s mammals by weight, 96 percent of that biomass is humans and livestock; just 4 percent is wild animals.

As my husband says quite often "Humans are a blight upon this earth."

 

[NH Homesteader]

Shocking, isn't it?

 

[Amiga]

Sobering.

For myself, I find I can rarely just walk away from information like this. So, years ago, because of my Permaculture training about beneficial critters and then continuing with what I see in my own yard, I started letting wild islands come up around the place.

Wild islands are little areas (or big ones ) that volunteer, with mostly native plants and fungi. The soil is not disturbed, and the plant material is left standing in autumn and over winter. Just nature.

Since several wild islands have been in place, I have seen more songbirds, more types of songbirds, more types of beneficial insects, in larger numbers, and far fewer pests. Just my yard, yes, but there are millions of people on this continent with yards.

A local community organization is letting me convert lawn to resilient gardens and mercy, the improvement is so fast, once you direct and hold rainwater in appropriate places, and pile on the wood chip mulch! Bees, birds, and the soil has come alive! There was one incident of fall web worms on a mulberry. A little diluted dish soap did them in, and the mulberry kept on rockin’!

That was two years ago, no sign of them since.

I also allow possums to shelter on my property. I do not have horses, just ducks, and the possums have no access to them. Possums, I am told, eat thousands of ticks, and are mostly unaffected - do not carry - Lyme Disease. This year I have seen maybe four ticks. On any of us, not even attached (just luck about that). Maybe it’s having a better balanced natural environment that helps, I cannot prove it.

I hope this is some encouragement. One person’s efforts may not seem like much. At the same time, I choose not to just sit back and do nothing. And I have friends and associates around the world, dozens of them, who are leading groups of people in restoring ecosystems.

I often recall this quote from Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, Aragorn: I see in your eyes the same fear that would take the heart of me. A day may come when the courage of men fails, when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship, but it is not this day.

 

[Mini Horses]

It IS shocking. However, I believe my skunk population is growing and I would like decline there! Fox & coyote have reduced much squirrel & rabbit populations. We do have some groundhog about.

My neighbor has been reducing the fox & coyote over a couple years. Unfortunately, a Mr Fox reduced some of my chickens before his number came up.

A concern for me -- and should be fore most farmers -- the decline in bees. Chemicals are the main culprit. Then, chemicals are not doing we humans any good either.

ETA: I was posting as you were Amiga -- I live in a location that does have a good amount of natural landscape and basically our wildlife is pretty vigorous. Sometimes too much so. But plenty of undisturbed woods, water and clearings. There are crops raised in the area but not so excessive as to be a concern. The after use is appreciated by the abundant deer.

 

[CrealCritter]

I also allow possums to shelter on my property. I do not have horses, just ducks, and the possums have no access to them. Possums, I am told, eat thousands of ticks, and are mostly unaffected - do not carry - Lyme Disease. This year I have seen maybe four ticks. On any of us, not even attached (just luck about that). Maybe it’s having a better balanced natural environment that helps, I cannot prove it.

Baked Possum recipe ---> https://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/recs/628/Baked-Possum84305.shtml

Would I eat it? Hell no, but I thought I would pass it along anyways, since you have an abundance of tasty stinky crtiters right under your nose.

 

[BarredBuff]

It IS shocking. However, I believe my skunk population is growing and I would like decline there! Fox & coyote have reduced much squirrel & rabbit populations. We do have some groundhog about.

My neighbor has been reducing the fox & coyote over a couple years. Unfortunately, a Mr Fox reduced some of my chickens before his number came up.

A concern for me -- and should be fore most farmers -- the decline in bees. Chemicals are the main culprit. Then, chemicals are not doing we humans any good either.

ETA: I was posting as you were Amiga -- I live in a location that does have a good amount of natural landscape and basically our wildlife is pretty vigorous. Sometimes too much so. But plenty of undisturbed woods, water and clearings. There are crops raised in the area but not so excessive as to be a concern. The after use is appreciated by the abundant deer.

It's honestly a two-edged sword. We lose pollinators from possible chemical use, but also we can't farm enough to feed the population without them. Its an interesting and complex situation.

 

[Mini Horses]

we can't farm enough to feed the population without them

Personally, I feel we can do a LOT better with less. Plus the chemicals at growth and processing are part of what's causing so many health issues. There is a lot of waste in America -- speaking crops right now. Organic roof tops in cities is a great idea, we need to stop the other pollution, too, for that to work successfully. Less fast food and more fresh markets would be nice. But then some humans don't want to cook, just eat, often too much.

I suppose one of the issues is the size of the population

 

[BarredBuff]

Personally, I feel we can do a LOT better with less. Plus the chemicals at growth and processing are part of what's causing so many health issues. There is a lot of waste in America -- speaking crops right now. Organic roof tops in cities is a great idea, we need to stop the other pollution, too, for that to work successfully. Less fast food and more fresh markets would be nice. But then some humans don't want to cook, just eat, often too much.

I suppose one of the issues is the size of the population

I agree with that wholeheartedly for what folks on this forum do. If I tend my own garden and grow some of my own grains, I can manage it better at this level. I have the time and interest to go out and pick bugs off or use alternate methods to manage them. Simultaneously, if a crop fails for us our livelihood is not lost and we manage other ways. We go buy it or we make do without and use another crop that produced well. This is because we engage in polyculture and not a monoculture.

This is in contrast to a farmer raising cash crops as his livelihood. At that scale, it is an entirely different ball game. A great friend of mine farms at that scale for a living. In order for him to do that efficiently, conventional chemical usage is necessary. If not, the crop (part of the monoculture) fails and he can't pay his bills.

The problem is the system utilized for the last 150 years. It has done a great job at feeding our country cheaply, but I think our culture and environment have suffered. I understand why farmers use the methods that they do to produce a crop, but I also desire to do my own production for my family too.

 

[NH Homesteader]

But the question is, should that monoculture even exist? I support farmers and don't want to see them fail but the system needs to change. It's like dairy farmers. Totally support them, hard workers, but if dairy production can't support itself without subsidies, maybe it (or we) need to change.