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There are sampling methodology issues with this type of studies. The main conclusion is that insecticide chemicals used for agriculture are pretty effective at
by stephc_int13 4y ago
There are sampling methodology issues with this type of studies.
The main conclusion is that insecticide chemicals used for agriculture are pretty effective at killing insects (especially Neonicotinoid but probably also other classes).
A more rigorous sampling methodology would produce a different picture, with huge differences depending on the distance from highly cultivated areas.
This is not apocalypse, this is actionable, invertebrates species populations can rebound at a surprising speed in less poisonous ecosystem.
Politics should act to ban some classes of insecticides.
- 300bps 4y agoPolitics should act to ban some classes of insecticides. And people need to be educated so they don’t hire pesticide companies to bomb their entire yard every year with insecticide because they want fewer mosquitos and other bugs outside.
- huuhee3 4y agoThis. I can't understand people who want their plot of land to be without natural life. Might as well sell the house and move to a flat instead.
- zamadatix 4y agoIf that were the only difference between a house and a flat then there would be reason to be confused. Few chose a flat vs a house mainly based on how much they love nature itself.
- ninkendo 4y agoI don’t think anyone wants their plot of land to be without natural life. Maybe without mosquitos though.
- mikrotikker 4y agoYea but like, there's topical applications instead of bombing the backyard. Or plant lots of citrus in the yard. Rip a small branch off and scrunch up the leaves and keep it near. The citrus fumes from the leaves can keep them at bay.
- ninkendo 4y agoI don’t think citrus grows in the Midwest. Or in most places, really.
- mikrotikker 4y agoOh shit really? That's crazy. Y'all don't have have a sneaky lemon tree that you dash out to when u need a lemon for something?
- ninkendo 4y agoIt would die in the winter. You can grow one indoors though.
- is_true 4y agoIt's mostly mosquitoes. I don't like them but all the plants I have are from the local environment to help insects and birds.
- zbrozek 4y agoDunno. I'm one of the people who don't want mosquitos, though I don't care about bugs which don't suck my blood. I have a fan-powered mosquito trap which seems to work well enough. No chemistry.
- giantg2 4y agoThere's always BTI, which so far is specific just to mosquitoes (biological, not chemical).
- christophilus 4y agoWe put up mosquito traps. They emit a bit of CO2 or something like that to attract the little pests. Seems to work pretty well for us, and we still have a really healthy insect population in our yard more generally. It helps that we leave our leafs around the trees and we always cordon of a section of the lawn to leave unmowed all spring and summer.
- giantg2 4y agoThis is the biggest factor I've personally seen. My house and neighbor don't spray. I chave a corn field behind me, which I think is BT because I don't see them spray. We have plenty of bumble bees, beetles, and other insects. Although I will say there are fewer butterflies than I remeber as a kid. My in-laws live in a development where they and almost everyone else sprays. There are very few insects. Still plenty of annoying yellow jackets though.
- dcchambers 4y ago> Politics should act to ban some classes of insecticides. My fear (in the US anyway) is that this will never happen because of one simple reason: Iowa Corn Farmers. Presidential elections in the US start and end for many candidates in one state. Iowa. That's where the first primary election is held. And the key to winning Iowa is the make the corn lobby and corn farmers happy.
- njarboe 4y agoThe Democrats have voted to change the first primaries (I know Iowa has a caucus) to North Carolina. That should change things a bit.
- lotsofpulp 4y ago*South Carolina.
- giantg2 4y agoWhat they (and others) should be doing is looking at nationwide same day primaries to remove the bias, not just shift it around.
- jimbob45 4y agoFucking thank you. I can’t believe the DNC lets their absurd primary rules stand year after year. Superdelegates are still a thing too, even after the Hillary/Bernie debacle. Tuck that one away in your memory because it’ll become relevant again 25 years down the road, even though everyone thought they were abolished after 2016.
- cycrutchfield 4y agoWhat debacle? The more popular candidate won
- NLPaep 4y ago
- fnordpiglet 4y agoIt feels like this is also where natural selection and evolution kick in. Surely insects will evolve resistance to insecticides given their ubiquity, rapid life cycle, and prodigious ability to reproduce?
- londons_explore 4y agoThere are always some chemicals that evolving resistance to is tricky. Humans are particularly poor at lava resistance... Despite groups of humans having had access to lava for millions of years.
- kuhewa 4y agoIts a red queen situation though because the agricultural industry is constantly coming up with ways to get around resistance when it does appear
- fnordpiglet 4y agoI think in this tit for tat insects have the long term advantage. The insecticides have to be relatively harmless to mammals, otherwise other methods of production for food become economically viable. I wager on the roaches.
- chucklenorris 4y agoWhat's the alternative? The public is much more afraid about GMO crops than dying insects and the farmers clearly don't want to be the losers in this situation.
- stephc_int13 4y agoYeah, this is unfortunate. Same story with Nuclear power.
- kornhole 4y agoBirds are the only insect control I use in my garden. I am not growing miles of corn or another monoculture. It is a hard sell to some farmers to diversify their fields and plant trees for the birds to roost.