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Yes, a big problem for insects in suburban areas is humans tendency to want "manicured" nature. Just walk around anywhere in e.g. silicon valley, where lawns ar
by rlonn 9y ago
Yes, a big problem for insects in suburban areas is humans tendency to want "manicured" nature. Just walk around anywhere in e.g. silicon valley, where lawns are kept short and there are less than a dozen types of trees and bushes (also often trimmed) and you'll note there are very few insects, which has resulted in even fewer types of birds and practically no small animals. Insects need old, decomposing tree trunks and branches on the ground, and humans tend to remove those because it isn't tidy enough for them. I share a vacation house on a small (maybe 5 square km) island in the archipelago of Stockholm and despite there being houses on almost all of that island, we have 120 different species of birds on it. This is likely a result of a longtime policy that says house owners should strive to keep old, fallen trees when possible and avoid tidying up their land too much, and the parts that are public land are not interfered with much at all.
- christophilus 9y agoYeah. I have a stack of fallen tree limbs / logs in one relatively hidden corner of my lawn. It turns into super good soil. It's got a bunch of insect life there, as well as good fungal life. And my neighbor's chickens love it.
- nsporillo 9y agoA lot of people don't like having insects in their homes, so it would make sense that they manicure their lawns to reduce the number of insects around their homes.
- clort 9y agoIt might, but how far do insects actually travel? If it was really restricted like that then it would surely be better to concrete over the yard and park their cars there. I've seen various flying insects more than a hundred miles out to sea but I accept that not all insects fly.