to think we are f***ed without insects?

[TakeawayTakeMeAway]

Last night I read a magazine article about a Dutch insect study which said that the number of insects in the country has declined by about 75% since 1992.

It pointed out that if this rate of decline continues, then in ten years we’ll have fuck all left.

The situation (as in, scientifically documented decline in insect numbers) is the same in the UK, Germany, and I believe a number of other countries.

But we’re all looking the other way! Ten years is no time

I presume the increase in vegetarians doesn't help this.
A field of sprayed and insect free broccoli vs cows grazing on grass.

It all sounds very scary but what can we actually do to help?

A field of sprayed and insect free broccoli vs cows grazing on grass.

I wouldn't sound too virtuous. You do know that animals are pumped full of hormones, including growth, and the colour of egg yolks (!)? Also, what do those animals eat?

We have 7 acres of land that is totally left to its own devices. Bazillions of butterflies and bees. And frogs.

www.buglife.org.uk/activities-for-you/wildlife-gardening

I'm in St Lucia and each time I visit there are less and less insects. I can't stand bugs, and the bugs here are (well were) huge. I'd be jumping out of my skin. In the last say 8 years or so, I haven't had to.

Maria Island is just off St Lucia, it's uninhabited and all the birds have emigrated there. May see a humming bird in St Lucia very occasionally (I've not seen a single one this time) but that's it.

It has to be the crops spraying. As much as I hate bugs I don't want them gone. I think we'll pay for this madness in years to come, a lot sooner than we think.

Don't worry - all the bugs moved to my home state.

The rivers are cleaner than they used to be, therefore we have more blackflies and mosquitoes.

Ticks. Everywhere.

Don't get me started on the caterpillar invasions we're having. Half the people in my town can't go into their own gardens because of toxic caterpillar hairs. The oaks are all being eaten alive.

Thanks for the link ILoveMyDressingGown. Have had a quick look and will have a better one tomorrow.

@73kittycat73
Well, cows eat grass mainly. So, in a field of cows grazing, there's lots of bio-diversity. Insects, birds, mice, rabbits, etc.
Vegetarians don't eat cows, so farmer replaces cow meadow with vegetables which are sprayed with chemicals - no biodiversity.

Sadly it's not that simple arethereany.

science.time.com/2013/12/16/the-triple-whopper-environmental-impact-of-global-meat-production/

And that's just one example.