France has become the first country to ban all 5 neonicotinoid pesticides linked to bee deaths. Countless studies have revealed that these chemicals cause bee colonies to collapse and in a world which until now was largely ignoring the impact of the routine dosing of whole landscapes with industrial scale pesticides, it's a very welcome lead.The EU banned Clothianidin, Imidacloprid, Thiamethoxam late 2017 after 5 million people petitioned for their ban, but said that the other two included in the French ban were slightly less toxic so left them off, causing one researcher to quip:"THAT'S A BIT LIKE SAYING ARSENIC IS LESS TOXIC THAN CYANIDE."
The world's 20,000 species of bees are central to fertilising more than 90 percent of the planet's 107 major crops. The United Nations says 40 percent of invertebrate pollinators - particularly bees and butterflies- risk global extinction. And that is a big problem when they create the plants that nourish us.
Entomologists dubbed the disappearing insects 'the windscreen phenomenon' as fewer and fewer bugs seem to end up squished on our car windscreens. This suspicion was certainly proven by a group of amateur entomologists across Germany, who counted insects over a 27 year period. They began collecting insects in 1989 and their research was reported in plos.org in 2017. Specifically, they noted that 75% of the population of insects had disappeared in that time. "OUR ANALYSIS ESTIMATES A SEASONAL DECLINE OF 76%, AND MID-SUMMER DECLINE OF 82% IN FLYING INSECT BIOMASS OVER THE 27 YEARS OF STUDY. WE SHOW THAT THIS DECLINE IS APPARENT REGARDLESS OF HABITAT TYPE, WHILE CHANGES IN WEATHER, LAND USE, AND HABITAT CHARACTERISTICS CANNOT EXPLAIN THIS OVERALL DECLINE.
THIS YET UNRECOGNIZED LOSS OF INSECT BIOMASS MUST BE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT IN EVALUATING DECLINES IN ABUNDANCE OF SPECIES DEPENDING ON INSECTS AS A FOOD SOURCE, AND ECOSYSTEM FUNCTIONING IN THE EUROPEAN LANDSCAPE."So much for humans thinking they might rely on an insectivore diet for future food. The problem of course is way worse than whether we have to eat insects to survive. It's not just humans who eat insects. The research report goes on to point out: '80% OF WILD PLANTS ARE ESTIMATED TO DEPEND ON INSECTS FOR POLLINATION, WHILE 60% OF BIRDS RELY ON INSECTS AS A FOOD SOURCE. CLEARLY, PRESERVING INSECT ABUNDANCE AND DIVERSITY SHOULD CONSTITUTE A PRIME CONSERVATION PRIORITY."
There are all kinds of things you can do to help bee populations, no matter where you live. You can either keep bees - European, if you have the space and are willing to learn or Australian Native Bees if you live on the east coast of Australia. Avoid (ban) your personal use of bug sprays, fungicides and weed killers to beat garden pests as they are most likely killing vital insects as well. Pesticides found in the pollen are also pyrethroids, which are typically used to control mosquitoes and other nuisance pests in flowering plants.
Be plant savvy when you buy bulbs, potted plants and seeds and avoid, if you can establish manufacture, those which have been treated with pesticides. Don't buy imported flowers or plants of any kind as they will most certainly have been doused with insecticides. Buy local if you can and increase your chance of acquiring a plant that is tolerant to local conditions.Plant flowering plants in pots on your balcony for visiting bees - even if you are high in the air. Bees fly everywhere.