This is very worrying ......

[fabindia]

The decline in insects and other invertebrates is extremely worrying. I don't think people are aware just how important bugs are to life on this planet of ours are.

http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/vital-invertebrates-decline-by-45-per-cent-study-finds-9626745.html

As individuals, we can do our bit but we need our politicians and big farming business to wake up to this potential global disaster.

[elliebear15]

At least the decline in bee numbers gets some publicity.
Not enough in my opinion.
And I suspect it only gets the coverage it does, because people like honey ...
very sad.
But on the plus side, it could be great for the unemployment statistics.
When the insects decline enough, they will have to employ thousands of people to manually pollinate our crops.
Hopefully the wake up call will hit home before that point.

[animartco]

Hi All. This year should have been a wonderful year for insects, being so warm. I expected in late August to find hundreds of grasshoppers hopping round my feet. I remember in late summer as a child, you couldn't walk through grass without putting up two or three grasshoppers at every stride. It was like splashing through water! I even had to stop wearing open toed sandles because I got grasshoppers in my toes. This year I have seen two or three, and have had just one jump up from under my feet. On the plus side though the butterflies have been great, although this year I haven't seen a painted lady. The small tortoiseshell have made a huge come back. In my area I haven't seen one for years! They were almost as common as they used to be! But this only means that conservationists are making an effort with butterflies. It's houseflies and bluebottles which seem to be conspicuous by their absence, and of course these, while unpopular, do have a more essential role.