A report this morning said butterfly numbers have dropped 50 percent on last years numbers in counts they carry out annually in the same areas of the country, have you gardeners noticed the drop?
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An Ankoù
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Populations of insects rise and fall all the time. I live in the country and go out at dusk around the country lanes with your headlights on and you’re driving through a dense cloud of insects. The mix and match of what insects make up that cloud may vary…the natural battle between predators and prey will vary from year to year but there are plenty of insects around if you get out of the more sterile town and city areas.
But yes, a few years ago seemed to be loads of butterflies around but not so much in recent years…but then a few years ago the fields around me were filled with rape seed crop which I haven’t seen for many many years, so maybe the lack of rape seed crops had impacted the local butterfly population?
But yes, a few years ago seemed to be loads of butterflies around but not so much in recent years…but then a few years ago the fields around me were filled with rape seed crop which I haven’t seen for many many years, so maybe the lack of rape seed crops had impacted the local butterfly population?
Insect numbers have definitely dropped in the last 20-30 years. I remember having to wash insects off my car window in the past, very rarely have to do that now.
This year in particular, probably because of the wet winter and spring butterflies seem to have taken a hit. Not many wasps earlier in the summer but they seem to have bounced back a bit.
According to this article the huge decline is down to insect-killing neonicotinoid pesticides which the UE banned and we still use on sugar beet -
Species, number counted, 14-year trend
1. Gatekeeper, 190,413, -32%
2. Meadow brown, 177,844, -15%
3. Large white, 138,424, +2%
4. Small white, 112,814, -19%
5. Peacock, 50,847, -30%
6. Red admiral, 47,109, +28%
7. Ringlet, 44,278, -47%
8. Speckled wood, 30,112, -38%
9. Comma, 24,498, -20%
10. Green-veined white, 18,951, -65%
In total, more than 85,000 citizen scientists recorded 935,000 butterflies and day-flying moths over three weeks from 12 July, down almost 600,000, equivalent to more than a third of 2023’s total. In 9,000 counts, participants failed to see a single butterfly or moth, the highest number of zero-counts in the citizen science programme’s history.
Butterfly Conservation is asking people to sign its open letter to the environment secretary, Steve Reed, calling for a complete ban on neonicotinoids.
Fox said: “When used on farmland, these chemicals make their way into the wild plants growing at field edges, resulting in adult butterflies and moths drinking contaminated nectar and caterpillars feeding on contaminated plants. Many European countries have already banned these chemicals, it’s time for the UK to follow suit and put the natural world first. If we don’t act now to address the long-term drivers of butterfly decline, we will face extinction events never before seen in our lifetime.”
A spokesperson for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said: “Nature underpins everything and we must protect our butterflies and other pollinators. That is why we are committed to deliver for nature and will change existing policies, including banning the use of those neonicotinoid pesticides that threaten vital pollinators.”
Full article - https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/sep/18/butterfly-emergency-declared-as-uk-summer-count-hits-record-low-conservation#:~:text=A national “butterfly emergency” has,the survey's 14-year history.
Species, number counted, 14-year trend
1. Gatekeeper, 190,413, -32%
2. Meadow brown, 177,844, -15%
3. Large white, 138,424, +2%
4. Small white, 112,814, -19%
5. Peacock, 50,847, -30%
6. Red admiral, 47,109, +28%
7. Ringlet, 44,278, -47%
8. Speckled wood, 30,112, -38%
9. Comma, 24,498, -20%
10. Green-veined white, 18,951, -65%
In total, more than 85,000 citizen scientists recorded 935,000 butterflies and day-flying moths over three weeks from 12 July, down almost 600,000, equivalent to more than a third of 2023’s total. In 9,000 counts, participants failed to see a single butterfly or moth, the highest number of zero-counts in the citizen science programme’s history.
Butterfly Conservation is asking people to sign its open letter to the environment secretary, Steve Reed, calling for a complete ban on neonicotinoids.
Fox said: “When used on farmland, these chemicals make their way into the wild plants growing at field edges, resulting in adult butterflies and moths drinking contaminated nectar and caterpillars feeding on contaminated plants. Many European countries have already banned these chemicals, it’s time for the UK to follow suit and put the natural world first. If we don’t act now to address the long-term drivers of butterfly decline, we will face extinction events never before seen in our lifetime.”
A spokesperson for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said: “Nature underpins everything and we must protect our butterflies and other pollinators. That is why we are committed to deliver for nature and will change existing policies, including banning the use of those neonicotinoid pesticides that threaten vital pollinators.”
Full article - https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/sep/18/butterfly-emergency-declared-as-uk-summer-count-hits-record-low-conservation#:~:text=A national “butterfly emergency” has,the survey's 14-year history.
Absolutely, number plate and headlights used to take ages to clean off the dead insects.
It also used to be that I couldn’t read in bed with the window open as loads of insects would fly in. Hasn’t happened for a few years now.
The bottom of the food chain is disappearing
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Definately fewer wasps around. Also noticed a decline in the big juicy house spiders and a massive increase in the harvester daddy long leg spiders...but also noticed a massive increase in birds of prey...which means there is an abundance of prey for them to feed on, which means an abundance of mice, voles and other small mammals that they feed on, which all feed on insects. Hardly ever saw big birds of prey when I were a wee lad, or even up until about ten years ago now they're super common. So the top of the food chain has definitely stepped up in numbers. Also notice loads and loads of bats around when I'm walking the dog at dusk, again feeding on insects.
And f'ing ants...I swear my village is built upon a huge ants nest.
And f'ing ants...I swear my village is built upon a huge ants nest.
I have noticed the numbers of wasps is down this year our PPE attracts them and i haven't been bothered by one this year.
Must have been lots of moths, as their caterpillars stripped all the leaves off by gooseberries.
Last two years actually almost waspless summers. Don't know if the wet winters of the last two years caused that. Butterflies, this year in August had a whole lot, seems they were attracted to the plum tree here (caterpillars seem to be somewhere else).
An Ankoù
Landlord.
The interesting. Here in 56 we had so many hornets it was impossible to walk through the orchard, let alone pick a few apples; and as for picking up the windfalls, forget it.
This year there have been none I swatted a few itinerant queens as spring opened and I think I've seen two others this autumn. No wasps, either.
Plenty of butterflies though, and bees of various descriptions. Last night I has to light the barbecue to get rid of a hatch of mosquitoes and midges if I wanted to stay outside.
Every year's different, it seems to me. The bird varieties change, too.
I suppose the number of bats swooping around at dusk is indicative of a decent insect population, otherwise they'd have nothing to eat. We've had plenty, this autumn.
I heard recently that a bat needs to eat 1/6 of its body weight in insects every night which is the equivalent of a 5 year old child eating 6 cans of beans, one bean at a time 
