Insect Die-off: Even Common Species Are Becoming Rare (sciencedaily.com)

Scientists at Senckenberg Nature Research Society and Technical University of Munich (TUM) have been able to show that currently widespread insects are threatened with a serious decline in species diversity in the near future. From the report: The research team lists the fragmentation of habitats and the intensification of agriculture as reasons for the decline of these "generalists." According to the study, published today in the scientific journal Biological Conservation, the genetic diversity among the examined butterfly species is also expected to decline sharply in the future -- as a result, the insects will become more sensitive to environmental changes.

Comments

Re:What can you do to help?

[Anonymous Coward]

Actually, you should eat more meat. Insecticide goes on corn, not cows.

If you stop eating meat, that ranchland will be converted to plant-ag farmland, and will be bathed in herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides before you know it. Then there's that many more tons of poison crap in the soil, water, and air. No, it's far better to let the land lie fallow and let the cows roam free, mooing and shitting and eating grass.

Fireflies

[Nidi62]

I've noticed that during the summers growing up even just 2 decades ago fireflies were all over the place. Now they are a rare sight. Sadly though, whatever has done in the fireflies hasn't done much to the mosquitoes around here.