Author Topic: Where are all the insects?  (Read 6692 times)

rogerzilla

  • When n+1 gets out of hand
Re: Where are all the insects?
« Reply #25 on: 19 August, 2021, 01:07:07 pm »
Hard work sometimes pays off in the end, but laziness ALWAYS pays off NOW.

Re: Where are all the insects?
« Reply #26 on: 19 August, 2021, 01:15:12 pm »
Lots of bees earlier in the year - at least three species of bumble-bee-types.

Butterflies, moths

Not many midges in our garden to date.
<i>Marmite slave</i>

Re: Where are all the insects?
« Reply #27 on: 19 August, 2021, 09:55:04 pm »
The "windshield phenomenon" is a thing (though as a non-driver, I have no anecdata to report).

Plenty of files around here, and bees as well - there have been lots of efforts to attract the latter recently, and there's even a hive or two in the "urban meadow" across the road from me. I also had a very persistent wasp paying far too much attention to my lunch yesterday.

Re: Where are all the insects?
« Reply #28 on: 11 October, 2021, 05:54:20 am »
We never had the flying ant swarms this year.
Did anyone else?
Never knowingly under caffeinated

Re: Where are all the insects?
« Reply #29 on: 12 October, 2021, 09:00:38 am »
Some of it has to be related to this years weather not just climate change. Last year our garden was full of every kind of flying insect, butterfly's, bees hoverflys etc. This year a lot less. I doubt climate change, chemical usage and loss of habitat  has made that much difference in one year though obvioulsy its responsible for the general trend.
I think you'll find it's a bit more complicated than that.

nicknack

  • Hornblower
Re: Where are all the insects?
« Reply #30 on: 12 October, 2021, 01:25:42 pm »
We never had the flying ant swarms this year.
Did anyone else?
We've had a couple. The local gull population went mad for the first one.
There's no vibrations, but wait.

Wowbagger

  • Former Sylph
    • Stuff mostly about weather
Re: Where are all the insects?
« Reply #31 on: 13 October, 2021, 12:16:16 pm »
I've seen hardly any wasps all summer. But this morning, whilst I have been digging the garden, there are half a dozen taking an interest. They are workers, definitely not queens looking for somewhere to hibernate. I would be most surprised if there's a nest in our garden. It's only a small garden and I would have seen signs of them much sooner.
Quote from: Dez
It doesn’t matter where you start. Just start.

TimC

  • Old blerk sometimes onabike.
Re: Where are all the insects?
« Reply #32 on: 13 October, 2021, 02:00:59 pm »
Wasps have been absent from my garden this year, even though I have several large fruit trees. Last year they set up a ground nest in a patch of bergenia, and basically destroyed the entire crop while making it impossible to spend any time in the garden, so I don't miss them! However, the bee count has been good and, despite reports elsewhere, the butterfly incidence has been pretty good too.