Can we as hobbist help?

[Eddie Bodhi]

National geographic 05 20 20. Just check it out.

 

[ColeopteraC]

National geographic 05 20 20. Just check it out.

We can become involved in citizen (or professional science) projects through our passion, volunteering for university projects etc. Or become entomologists!

We can become involved in movements (Climate strikes, green peace protests etc.) or donate to charities such as buglife.

And of course there are things we can do in our own neighbourhood. Choose ethically sourced organic produce, refrain from pesticide use, make your gardens or even flat more eco friendly (pollinator friendly flowers etc.) There is lots we can do and if we all pull together as hobbyists we can make a difference!

 

[Eddie Bodhi]

We can become involved in citizen (or professional science) projects through our passion, volunteering for university projects etc. Or become entomologists!

We can become involved in movements (Climate strikes, green peace protests etc.) or donate to charities such as buglife.

And of course there are things we can do in our own neighbourhood. Choose ethically sourced organic produce, refrain from pesticide use, make your gardens or even flat more eco friendly (pollinator friendly flowers etc.) There is lots we can do and if we all pull together as hobbyists we can make a difference!

Thank you. Now let's all get to work.

 

[Introvertebrate]

The bigger the animal, the more it deserves to live. Lots of money is spent saving lions, tigers, and bears. That’s because they’re big. Insects are small so they don’t matter. It also helps to be cute or attractive or furry. The more human an animal is, the more it has the right to live. Just talk to the conservationists. They have all the guidelines worked out.

 

[Rhino1]

There's heaps of stuff that everyone can do no matter where you live, Australians are pretty switched on to this already, government schools in my state have been making insect houses and hanging them up for a few years now.
I personally, am in charge of biological control at work and we are spending more money on good bugs than chemicals and everyone is so surprised by the results, we still have to spray but it's maybe a sixth of the chemicals being used when I started.
People seem to keep using chemicals by habit.

Let a section of your garden or lawn grow wild, put in a pond, plant some nectar or food plants/trees for insects, change light bulbs to avoid disturbing nocturnal insects, install insect houses, change your chemical use etc etc it's not rocket science, it's simple chit everyone can contribute to.

 

[Eddie Bodhi]

All great ideas. I'm looking into breeding and releasing invertebrates that I notice are getting scarce in my area. Sow bugs , wolf spiders , Rosey wolf snails. Was able to release alot of wolf spiders. My yard is a jungle lol

 

[wizentrop]

If the question is whether we can help *as hobbyists*, then the answer is - not so much. Please refer to the last paragraph of my comment in this thread to learn why breeding and releasing is not the solution. Echoing @Rhino1's beautiful comment above, what we need is to protect natural habitats, in hopes to restore and preserve whole ecosystems. No species functions alone in nature, it always plays a part in something bigger, through its interactions with other species and the environment.

 

[Arthroverts]

I agree with @wizentrop's assessment that we usually will not be able to save a species before it's gone by captive breeding, and in the vast majority of instances we will gloss over the maybe more important but drab and small species in favor of another, larger, "cooler" species.
However, that's not to say we shouldn't try, in moderation and with wild populations in mind of course.

That said I overall agree with the above statements. I think more time and energy needs to be devoted to protecting what we already have, as it is rapidly being destroyed the world over. Examples would include Brazil, Australia, Mexico, some areas of the US (such as coastal California, though my local area is also being rapidly turned into suburbs and shopping centers, much to my dismay), Borneo, Thailand, West Africa, etc. If we can be faithful in conserving and protecting that we can be faithful in conserving and protecting much more I believe.

@Rhino1's comment in regards to just letting part of the garden (or all of it) run wild is something I have noticed to be much better for the local wildlife than any controlled attempts; well said Rhino1.
It was, after all, created to run itself without human intervention.

Thanks,

Arthroverts

 

[Rhino1]

Thanks for the really nice comments @wizentrop and @Arthroverts, truth is that sometimes I can't sleep at night and I worry about weird stuff like this.

 

[davehuth]

How we communicate about the natural world and biodiversity can also have a surprising effect on the feelings and behavior of people were socially connected to. When people hear us talking about insects, native plants, local wildlife, habitats, etc. as if these things are important, beautiful, interesting, intrinsically valuable— they’re often more likely to think twice before spraying pesticides, squashing spiders, etc. As social creatures, our attitudes and patterns of communication can play an important role in conservation.

 

[Eddie Bodhi]

If the question is whether we can help *as hobbyists*, then the answer is - not so much. Please refer to the last paragraph of my comment in this thread to learn why breeding and releasing is not the solution. Echoing @Rhino1's beautiful comment above, what we need is to protect natural habitats, in hopes to restore and preserve whole ecosystems. No species functions alone in nature, it always plays a part in something bigger, through its interactions with other species and the environment.

I respect your opinions. But I believe we can and must help. Education is important.If everybody does just a little that can be alot

 

[Introvertebrate]

There’s a lady in our neighborhood who set up her front yard as a ‘Monarch Way Station’. Instead of a lawn, she planted a bunch of potential host plants. I believe she raises caterpillars too.

 

[Eddie Bodhi]

Awesome

 

[schmiggle]

Not to be a wet towel, but my impression was that the causes of global insect declines are poorly understood, so while increasing the area of natural habitat might be beneficial (and probably can't hurt), if pollution (chemical, light, noise) and pesticide use remain constant it may not help much. I do remember hearing that urban bees in the Boston area had better outcomes than rural bees, which was thought to be linked to greater botanical diversity and lower pesticide use; those are, however, total guesses, and no one really knows why.

The following paper, which attracted considerable attention and spawned most of these articles, suggests that increasing natural habitat relative to farmland is predicted to have a modest positive effect but that this effect is outweighed by whatever was actually causing the decline. ~75% decline was observed regardless of location.

More than 75 percent decline over 27 years in total flying insect biomass in protected areas

Global declines in insects have sparked wide interest among scientists, politicians, and the general public. Loss of insect diversity and abundance is expected to provoke cascading effects on food webs and to jeopardize ecosystem services. Our understanding of the extent and underlying causes of...

journals.plos.org

For me, the takeaway is: increase natural habitat area and reduce pesticide use, but also support research into the causes of decline so that they can be better understood. See if there are any citizen science opportunities (I'm not aware of any, but that doesn't mean they aren't there) or labs looking for volunteers. Donate to non-profits like the Xerces society working to preserve invertebrate populations. Preserving natural habitats just isn't going to cut it on its own, IMO, and more specific solutions will be needed to address whatever the problem actually turns out to be. Once we know what's killing insects, we'll be better equipped to stop it.

 

[ColeopteraC]

I respect your opinions. But I believe we can and must help. Education is important.If everybody does just a little that can be alot

If the question is whether we can help *as hobbyists*, then the answer is - not so much. Please refer to the last paragraph of my comment in this thread to learn why breeding and releasing is not the solution. Echoing @Rhino1's beautiful comment above, what we need is to protect natural habitats, in hopes to restore and preserve whole ecosystems. No species functions alone in nature, it always plays a part in something bigger, through its interactions with other species and the environment.

A rather interesting paper on the matter of captive breeding and release. Seems introduction of habitat so wild butterflies can thrive is the way instead of controlled rearing.

A poor substitute for the real thing: captive reared monarch butterflies are overall weaker than their wild counterparts...

 

[Eddie Bodhi]

Sometimes with trial and error problems are solved. I refuse to quit because others have failed.l have had success with wolf spiders in my yard. This is fact, I see wolf spiders thriving in my yard. Not long ago only wood roaches and banana roaches were the dominant life form in my yard. Now my little sanctuary has balance. I've also helped with the skinks geckos and gulf coast toads in my area. The only failure is not trying. I'm from the John Muir school of thought. Anyway good luck and bless everyone. Time to drink beer and watch nature.