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It's the height of summer. Usually there are loads of insects buzzing around, especially flies. Right now, in the corner of West London, there are none.
Where are all the insects? on 18:17 - Jul 22 by dmm
Actually that's not strictly the case today. There was a terrifying lack of any insect splats when I drove to Cornwall in 2014. Especially compared to the days when you could barely see through your windscreen. However, I am pleased to report than on my drive down there in May, there were a decent number of splats. I think the ban on neonicotinoid pesticides has definitely helped here. There are still far fewer than the 70s, 80s and 90s, but it has improved a bit. Still a long way to go though. Huge monoculture fields are a big part of the problem, creating the ecological equivalent of deserts all over our countryside. We need to return to a far more mixed farming profile ASAP.
Interestingly Clarkson has done a lot to highlight this issue and raise awareness. Love him or loathe him, the Clarkson's Farm series is making a difference.
Was thinking exactly this a few days ago. I’m also west London.
All the pesticides and insecticides don’t help. Not so many swifts over the skies of west London either this year. Last summer I counted 15 one evening, most I’ve counted this year is 5 so far.
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Where are all the insects? on 18:43 - Jul 22 with 2236 views
Where are all the insects? on 18:23 - Jul 22 by hubble
Actually that's not strictly the case today. There was a terrifying lack of any insect splats when I drove to Cornwall in 2014. Especially compared to the days when you could barely see through your windscreen. However, I am pleased to report than on my drive down there in May, there were a decent number of splats. I think the ban on neonicotinoid pesticides has definitely helped here. There are still far fewer than the 70s, 80s and 90s, but it has improved a bit. Still a long way to go though. Huge monoculture fields are a big part of the problem, creating the ecological equivalent of deserts all over our countryside. We need to return to a far more mixed farming profile ASAP.
Interestingly Clarkson has done a lot to highlight this issue and raise awareness. Love him or loathe him, the Clarkson's Farm series is making a difference.
[Post edited 22 Jul 19:29]
I worked for a large Dairy company for 20 years and would go out on farm regularly. I can say that there is more wildlife in the towns and cities gardens than on farms, which are green deserts. If you have a garden, build a small pond and lots of pollinator friendly plants. They have a little bee on the label when buying them.
Totally agree about Clarksons Farm. The show has highlighted more in two years than God knows how many series of the awful Country File. Clarkson rightly received and award from the NFU.
1
Where are all the insects? on 19:09 - Jul 22 with 2208 views
I get mocked at work if I point out things like this. "Ah summer has always been this way, it's not even that hot" (There's enough data out there now to show pretty clearly what is going on. As scientists predicted many years ago, in the UK we are now having milder winters and more extreme weather in summer) "There's no point in doing anything here anyway, look at China, India etc etc" (People in glass houses and all that. Plus if we keep up the demand for buying pointless crap mass produced in those countries then we are culpable) "How can there be droughts when it is always raining?" (Because we don't have a big enough natural landscape any more to slow the flow of water and it now causes flooding and rushes out to sea before we can make use of it) "Things always go in cycles don't they?" (Yes but thanks to our impact we're about to go into overdrive with our current climate model)
I reallly really hope he lack of insects this year is due to the wet spring and early summer but I fear it goes much deeper than that. The use of pesticides, monocultures, climate, all have an influence. I've also noticed less birds this year and that would make sense if there aren't insects to eat or plants being pollinated. Humans have a great way to come up with solutions in times of crisis I just wish we had more foresight and weren't so careless with how we treat this planet. It looks like it will take getting to a really bad point before we as humans start making the changes that were needed DECADES ago. But you know the mega rich who have benefitted from these industries will be absolutely fine.
On a lighter note if you want to see butterflies and birds and give yourself some hope go to Horsenden Hill nature reserve in Perivale/Greenford. You can regularly see Kestrels, Red Kites and even Buzzards. The meadows are amazing and have colour and variety throughout the year. I had a walk through today and counted at least 8 species of butterfly within 20 minutes. Plus on a Saturday they open their on site brewery. Wood fired pizzas as well, what's not to like!
7
Where are all the insects? on 19:12 - Jul 22 with 2202 views
My insect hotel that has been In the garden for the last four years sadly fell apart earlier this Year and I totally forgot to replace It. Mrs Ted planted out wildflower seeds early this year and the garden is awash with wildflowers In pots, In the soil and just about everywhere £2.99 for a packet of seeds that have produced countless flowering flowers, I was deadheading them earlier In the sunshine. There Is without doubt a distinct lack of bees this Summer which Is a cause for concern, It Is very noticeable that around here (South Oxfordshire) the B roads have not had any cutting back which Is actually becoming a bit dangerous at road junctions. Had one wasp fly In the back door, have a look round and flew out the Patio doors. We need the wasps because they scoff the bloody aphids that are a bloody pest at the moment. The odd frog appears on the back lawn most evenings but as yet not one single hedgehog.
Taken all the bird feeders down until Winter.
My Father had a profound influence on me, he was a lunatic.
0
Where are all the insects? on 19:34 - Jul 22 with 2141 views
So, what we are seeing is a) a decline in the numbers of individual insects, but b) also a collapse of insect diversity. Major causes of this trend are land-use intensification in the form of greater use for agriculture, together with building development, climate change and the spread of invasive animal species. So, while many insect species decline or go extinct, others, including invasive species, thrive, which leads to an increasing homogenisation of the insect communities across habitats.
It's significant because, generally speaking, a decline in insect diversity threatens the stability of ecosystems. Fewer species means that there are fewer insects capable of pollinating plants and keeping pests in check. And, of course, this also means that there is less food available for insect-eating birds and other animals.
We desperately need measures to reduce the dispersal of invasive animal and plant species through our globalised trade and tourism.
It's Cicada-gaddeon. There's a brood of Cicadas that only emerges once every 17 years in Chicago. There's another brood that only emerges every 13 years. This year is the intersection of both of them, they are all over the place and the noise is ridiculous.
I think we're over the worst of it now thankfully.
0
Where are all the insects? on 20:59 - Jul 22 with 2024 views
It definitely is a thing, a recent article in the Guardian :
"Anyone with even a passing interest in the natural world will have noticed a dramatic phenomenon this year: a lack of insects. Perhaps most noticeable is the near-absence of butterflies. Species that are usually common, such as large and small whites, small tortoiseshells, gatekeepers, ringlets, peacocks and meadow browns, are in many places down to the point of having almost disappeared. This is certainly the case where I live, in Cambridge.
Bee populations seem to be down here, too, with flowery margins that would at this time of year normally be alive with pollinators now eerily quiet. Hoverflies are depleted, moths scarce and aphids have either appeared very late or not at all. Buddleia bushes, with their fragrant mauve flowers that are usually festooned with butterflies, moths and many other insects, sit naked of their normal visitors.
There are several probable reasons for this sudden reduction compared with typical summers. The weather has not helped, with a cool and wet spring across much of the country suppressing insect numbers. But even with that factored in, this year’s sudden drop comes after many years of much longer-term decline.
When I was a child travelling in a car during the summer, journeys were accompanied by windscreen collisions with all kinds of insects – moths, beetles, butterflies, aphids, lacewings, craneflies and more. When we stopped, a clean of the front windscreen was often required, as the invertebrate debris overwhelmed the washers and wipers.
These days, drivers can cross the entire country and finish their journey with a clean screen. It’s true that cars are more streamlined and that some small flying creatures will whiz past rather than being hit, but numberplates are still as flat and as lethal as they ever were, and from those we have some data.
Surveys going back 20 years to 2004 reveal a sharp drop in the number of insects found splattered on numberplates in the UK. The scale of decline is staggering, with evidence gathered from numberplates showing a drop of 78% between then and 2023. Such findings place this year’s sudden insect decline into the context of a longer-term trend and show how erratic weather patterns are hitting already depleted populations.
Going back further, by about a century, the drop is likely to be far larger still. Dave Goulson, one of the UK’s leading entomologists, estimates that insect populations compared with a century ago are 90% to 95% down. That was not caused by one wet spring: it is the result of a combination of factors that include the rise of ever more intensive farming, habitat loss, habitat fragmentation, pollution and the impacts of climate breakdown.
Aside from the depressing silence and stillness of gardens, woods, hedgerows and grasslands, there are more practical implications. For example, many of our crop plants – including oilseed rape, tomatoes, apples and strawberries – depend on wild insects to pollinate them. Insects are also the food source of many mammals and birds that are also in decline. In the spring I also noticed the dawn chorus was much depleted, with one possible reason for that being insect scarcity.
The present position will hopefully be temporary but is nonetheless a wake-up call about the scale of losses that have taken place in recent decades. With ambitious legal targets set out in the Environment Act, including to halt species decline by 2030, and an international commitment to protect 30% of land and sea for nature by the same year, it is very clear that major change is needed now. It is pleasing to see that the incoming government has a sense of the challenge in front of us and has committed to positive measures, such as changing existing policies on emergency authorisations for neonicotinoid pesticides.
We will need to go further, though, including shifting the culture that favours neat and tidy verges, edges and hedges to create wilder gardens and bigger, better and more connected natural habitats. And we need to reduce pesticide use more broadly – not only in farming but in gardens and parks. All that will be needed not only to stem long-term decline but to create the resilience that our wildlife at present lacks, and which will be needed more and more as climate breakdown leads to more extreme weather.
One thing that we can all do to help is to get out and gather more information. This weekend the annual Big Butterfly Count gets under way, helping people survey their local area as part of a vital national counting exercise – a fantastic example of citizen science in action.
Nature is not just a nice thing to have: it is vital for our national health, wealth and security. Our butterflies and other insects are telling us something rather important."
Tony Juniper is chair of Natural England and author of What Has Nature Ever Done for Us?
Where are all the insects? on 17:58 - Jul 22 by hubble
Okay, I have just done a tour of the neighbourhood in the interests of research and the LFW community. I walked 2.9 miles (according to my phone) through W9, W10 and NW10.
I tried to cross the canal at Ha'penny Steps, but they were closed off by police tape and there were police all over the place on the south side, because of the young lad who was murdered there yesterday afternoon. So instead I worked my way around to Great Western Road, over the bridge and down into Meanwhile Gardens. By this stage, I still hadn't seen a single fly, bee, hoverfly, or butterfly in any of the gardens, not even on the stands of buddleia dotted here and there. I did see one large wasp. So I thought I would go and see what was happening in the community gardens where there are full time gardeners. I popped my head into their shed and said: where are all the bees!
They laughed and said, you're the third person who's asked that today!
So it's not just me then. However one of the gardeners said 'come with me' and she showed me around the insect friendly beds, where I am happy to report I saw loads of bees, hoverflies, some cabbage whites, a mayfly and even a red admiral. We then discussed the issues of the lack of insects in the rest of the area. She put it down to a combination of no bee friendly flowers, weather and... "something going on with the bees...''
I continued my walk along the canal to Ladbroke Grove, nearly getting run over several times by maniac cyclists, and then to Kensal Green cemetery, in the hope of continuing my research there, but I discovered that the East Gate is closed at 4.30 pm. On my way back, I paid homage to our beloved club by visiting the site of our formation at St Jude's Institute (now St Jude's Hall) on the corner of Ilbert Street and 4th Avenue. In Queen's Park Gardens opposite I saw plenty of bees and other insects in the wildflower beds, but everywhere else I walked was strangely barren of insect life, apart from one hollyhock filled garden, which sported a solitary bumble bee.
So all in all, an inconclusive survey. Summat's up, I tell thee. Good to read all of your reports above though.
[Post edited 22 Jul 18:03]
People are eating them, there's a war on don't y'know!
Where are all the insects? on 16:53 - Jul 22 by DesertBoot
Scarring the sky with chemtrails is causing all this rain which is having a huge impact on nature. Butterflies and bees a rare site these days here in NW1 and I'm right next to Regent's Park! Look how quickly it clouds over when the geo-engineers have done their thing.
Its as if they havent noticed you DesertBoot, it cant possibly anything to do with Chemtrails!?!
Add this to 5G conspiracy and you'll get yourself barred, or just ignored, lets see.
[Post edited 23 Jul 12:52]
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Where are all the insects? on 10:40 - Jul 23 with 1729 views
I live in central Europe with a similar climate to the UK (slightly warmer). We have an abundance of bugs here, I'm constantly getting bitten by them...you are welcome to have some of them. I slept with our bedroom window slightly open the other night and a grasshopper managed to find its way to landing on me while I was sleeping. Our cat comes in with ticks on his body most days, sometimes multiple. I never saw a tick once in the UK.
0
Where are all the insects? on 10:53 - Jul 23 with 1710 views
Where are all the insects? on 10:40 - Jul 23 by Landshark
I live in central Europe with a similar climate to the UK (slightly warmer). We have an abundance of bugs here, I'm constantly getting bitten by them...you are welcome to have some of them. I slept with our bedroom window slightly open the other night and a grasshopper managed to find its way to landing on me while I was sleeping. Our cat comes in with ticks on his body most days, sometimes multiple. I never saw a tick once in the UK.
Ticks are now quite common in the UK at least they are here in Surrey although not in the same extent as parts of Germany.I've also noticed less insects this summer in general.
1
Where are all the insects? on 11:00 - Jul 23 with 1701 views
"Jeremy Clarkson has said “something is afoot” as he raised alarm over plummeting butterfly sightings this year.
The Top Gear presenter turned farmer said that he was “a bit alarmed by how few butterflies there are” on a walk around his farm in the Cotswolds.
The Butterfly Conservation Trust said there were notably fewer butterflies so far this year, which it blamed on colder temperatures and heavy rain.
About 12 per cent of participants in the first week of its annual butterfly count reported no sightings at all, the trust said. During the count, participants are asked to record the number and species of butterflies they see in a 15-minute period.
England had 97 per cent of its average July rainfall in just the first two weeks, following the wettest 18 months on record, and the summer has so far been cooler than average.
Tony Juniper, the chairman of Natural England, said the drought in 2022 may also have played a part in an overall drop in insect numbers this year.
“A lot of food plants that insects relied on died during that very severe drought and heatwave, so there’s probably some quite long-term factors in here,” he said.
He added that the drop in butterfly numbers was particularly noticeable because of a decline in insect populations going back over decades.
About 80 per cent of butterflies in the UK have declined since the 1970s, the Butterfly Conservation Trust has warned, largely because of increased pesticide use and loss of habitat.
“This year’s impact is hitting already depleted populations, and that’s of concern, not only in terms of the insects themselves, but also the pollination services they provide,” Mr Juniper said.
“They are also a critical food source for many birds and mammals, with bats now being reported as being underweight this year, as a result of having insufficient food. Insects are really the linchpin of ecosystems, I sometimes call them ecological glue.” Conservation groups point to a decline in insect populations going back over decades
He added: “I do hope that we can see a reversal of this trend going forward. But we’re going to have to really think about the underlying issues here – lack of habitat, poor-quality habitat and also the effects of pollution, including pesticides.”
Mr Juniper said gardeners could do their best to boost insect numbers by “moving beyond our culture of tidiness”.
“If you have a garden, having wild spaces with more native flowering plants and non-native nectiverous plants can be quite good,” he said. “But also things upon which butterflies can lay eggs, like nettles.”
Emma Butler of the Butterfly Conservation Trust said that the best time to see butterflies this year was “when the sun is shining between the main showers”.
Mr Clarkson has previously raised concerns over the lack of visible insects around his farm, Diddly Squat, but has talked about losing 10 acres of crops when he cut down on the use of neonicotinoids, a pesticide known to be harmful to bees.
He has rejected using organic methods on his farm, arguing that the poor soil makes it a nonstarter, but has embraced the use of more regenerative methods, which reduce pesticides."
Admittedly not a scientific analysis, but I went to one of the finest traditional hay meadows in the UK recently, Bernwood Meadows, near Bicester. The wildflower meadows there are incredible, so incredible that the planned route of the M40 was altered to spare them. There were quite a lot of butterflies evident but I barely saw any bees.
Talking of wildflower meadows, it's great to see how popular they are becoming with councils and gardeners but it's important to use native species if you really want to help our pollinators. This is because native plants have a far greater number of associated insects. An example: - Garden cosmos (non-native): Associated insect species - 1 - Common bird's-foot trefoil (native): Associated insect species - 132.
Glad to see that the Telegraph mentions pesticides and that neonicotinoids harm bees. We can help bees and other insects by choosing organic products - I'll admit there is often an affordability issue there - and by not using pesticides containing Glyphosate or neonicotinoids in our gardens. Roundup contains Glyphosate and in fact, some studies have linked it to a major health risk for humans, specifically through increasing a person's risk of contracting non-Hodgkin lymphoma. A jury in California awarded a groundskeeper a massive judgement against the manufacturer of Glyphosate for this reason.
In his fascinating book about buying and managing a rundown French farm for wildlife, "A buzz in the Meadow," Dave Goulson says of the problems facing bees: "I must add one final note of caution. I am not claiming for one second that neonics are the only problem that bees or other wildlife face in the modern world. Bee declines are undoubtedly due to a mixture of factors, probably including diseases, Varroa mites (in the case of honeybees), lack of flowers, a monotonous diet and exposure to multiple pesticides, all providing a potent cocktail of stressors. It is very likely that these factors interact; bees that are mildly poisoned will be more susceptible to disease, less able to cope with starvation, and so on. We can't easily solve all of the problems affecting bees, but we can stop poisoning them".
One other thing he mentions in the book, but not in that quote above, is that falling genetic diversity is also affecting insects. This problem is due to insect populations becoming fragmented. Small populations become inbred and weak.
"Things had started becoming increasingly desperate at Loftus Road but QPR have been handed a massive lifeline and the place has absolutely erupted. it's carnage. It's bedlam. It's 1-1."
6
Where are all the insects? on 13:46 - Jul 23 with 1547 views
Where are all the insects? on 11:00 - Jul 23 by hubble
From the Telegraph yesterday:
"Jeremy Clarkson has said “something is afoot” as he raised alarm over plummeting butterfly sightings this year.
The Top Gear presenter turned farmer said that he was “a bit alarmed by how few butterflies there are” on a walk around his farm in the Cotswolds.
The Butterfly Conservation Trust said there were notably fewer butterflies so far this year, which it blamed on colder temperatures and heavy rain.
About 12 per cent of participants in the first week of its annual butterfly count reported no sightings at all, the trust said. During the count, participants are asked to record the number and species of butterflies they see in a 15-minute period.
England had 97 per cent of its average July rainfall in just the first two weeks, following the wettest 18 months on record, and the summer has so far been cooler than average.
Tony Juniper, the chairman of Natural England, said the drought in 2022 may also have played a part in an overall drop in insect numbers this year.
“A lot of food plants that insects relied on died during that very severe drought and heatwave, so there’s probably some quite long-term factors in here,” he said.
He added that the drop in butterfly numbers was particularly noticeable because of a decline in insect populations going back over decades.
About 80 per cent of butterflies in the UK have declined since the 1970s, the Butterfly Conservation Trust has warned, largely because of increased pesticide use and loss of habitat.
“This year’s impact is hitting already depleted populations, and that’s of concern, not only in terms of the insects themselves, but also the pollination services they provide,” Mr Juniper said.
“They are also a critical food source for many birds and mammals, with bats now being reported as being underweight this year, as a result of having insufficient food. Insects are really the linchpin of ecosystems, I sometimes call them ecological glue.” Conservation groups point to a decline in insect populations going back over decades
He added: “I do hope that we can see a reversal of this trend going forward. But we’re going to have to really think about the underlying issues here – lack of habitat, poor-quality habitat and also the effects of pollution, including pesticides.”
Mr Juniper said gardeners could do their best to boost insect numbers by “moving beyond our culture of tidiness”.
“If you have a garden, having wild spaces with more native flowering plants and non-native nectiverous plants can be quite good,” he said. “But also things upon which butterflies can lay eggs, like nettles.”
Emma Butler of the Butterfly Conservation Trust said that the best time to see butterflies this year was “when the sun is shining between the main showers”.
Mr Clarkson has previously raised concerns over the lack of visible insects around his farm, Diddly Squat, but has talked about losing 10 acres of crops when he cut down on the use of neonicotinoids, a pesticide known to be harmful to bees.
He has rejected using organic methods on his farm, arguing that the poor soil makes it a nonstarter, but has embraced the use of more regenerative methods, which reduce pesticides."
Watched the last episode of Fallout last night and wierldly the next suggested program was Clarksons farm thing , which I watched and enjoyed. I've seen a couple of posts on FB about this insect disappearances it's defo on people's minds.
Occasional providers of half decent House music.
0
Where are all the insects? on 14:32 - Jul 23 with 1447 views
Recently drove along a street I lived down in London 35 or so years ago.
The council have cut down every tree in the road, every house has replaced its pretty little grass front gardens with tarmac drives. Everything green had gone and the road looked shit.
And then they lecture us on environmentalism.
3
Where are all the insects? on 14:32 - Jul 23 with 1450 views
Where are all the insects? on 13:42 - Jul 23 by R_from_afar
Great thread, on a topic very dear to my heart.
Admittedly not a scientific analysis, but I went to one of the finest traditional hay meadows in the UK recently, Bernwood Meadows, near Bicester. The wildflower meadows there are incredible, so incredible that the planned route of the M40 was altered to spare them. There were quite a lot of butterflies evident but I barely saw any bees.
Talking of wildflower meadows, it's great to see how popular they are becoming with councils and gardeners but it's important to use native species if you really want to help our pollinators. This is because native plants have a far greater number of associated insects. An example: - Garden cosmos (non-native): Associated insect species - 1 - Common bird's-foot trefoil (native): Associated insect species - 132.
Glad to see that the Telegraph mentions pesticides and that neonicotinoids harm bees. We can help bees and other insects by choosing organic products - I'll admit there is often an affordability issue there - and by not using pesticides containing Glyphosate or neonicotinoids in our gardens. Roundup contains Glyphosate and in fact, some studies have linked it to a major health risk for humans, specifically through increasing a person's risk of contracting non-Hodgkin lymphoma. A jury in California awarded a groundskeeper a massive judgement against the manufacturer of Glyphosate for this reason.
In his fascinating book about buying and managing a rundown French farm for wildlife, "A buzz in the Meadow," Dave Goulson says of the problems facing bees: "I must add one final note of caution. I am not claiming for one second that neonics are the only problem that bees or other wildlife face in the modern world. Bee declines are undoubtedly due to a mixture of factors, probably including diseases, Varroa mites (in the case of honeybees), lack of flowers, a monotonous diet and exposure to multiple pesticides, all providing a potent cocktail of stressors. It is very likely that these factors interact; bees that are mildly poisoned will be more susceptible to disease, less able to cope with starvation, and so on. We can't easily solve all of the problems affecting bees, but we can stop poisoning them".
One other thing he mentions in the book, but not in that quote above, is that falling genetic diversity is also affecting insects. This problem is due to insect populations becoming fragmented. Small populations become inbred and weak.
Dave Goulson is a star. Gove actually banned neonicotinoids, alas they then repealed the ban! As a professional gardener, I won't use insecticides, but do use glyphosate occasionally, in my line of work there's no getting round it with some clients. I do try and mitigate the harm - if an area is flowering, I strim the vegetation down, let it grow for a week, and then spray. Hopefully the lack of flowers will mean pollinators are absent. But when you see farmers using glyphosate to predessicate crops before harvest...
A bee keeper has set up hives in one garden I manage. He has tracked the cause of the partial collapse of his hives to the dept of ag and environment destroying a hive in a nearby house and then not sealing it off properly. Foraging bees from nearby hives have then 'robbed' the poisoned hives. This action has also lead to these insecticides getting into the food chain. And that's from the dept responsible for the environment over here.. On to bee and wasp numbers this year, I put it down to the weather, while understanding that they are starting from a worryingly low base. I've also not seen much greenfly, which is a huge food source at the base of the food chain. Lots of midges and sodding horse flies about, mind.
[Post edited 23 Jul 14:43]
6
Where are all the insects? on 15:12 - Jul 23 with 1386 views
I didn't know the neonicotinoid ban had been rescinded Arfar, that's fcked.
We've got a hell of a long way to go before our farming is sorted out in this country. As for Roundup/glycophosphate, I managed to stop a neighbour using it, explaining the harm it does, but most people are still ignorant/oblivious. A friend and fellow R managed to stop everyone on his allotments using it, but there definitely needs to be nationwide education about all this. As DMM says, without the bees (and other pollinators) we are fcked.
All this has made me recall the fiendish development of pesticide resistant GMO crops, in particular by Monsanto/Bayer, so that the farmer uses their specific brand pesticides on them, destroying pretty much everything else growing in the process.
They've also designed GM crops that won't seed, so once you're signed up to them, you have to buy the seeds off Monsanto/Bayer every year, in perpetuity. Bill Gates has been a massive promoter of GM foods around the world. Their use in India caused absolute devastation, with 100s of 1000s of farmers losing their livelihoods in the process.
We need to work with nature, not against it. and I have to say the same thing applies to natural immunity. Natural is always best!!
Where are all the insects? on 15:31 - Jul 23 by hubble
All this has made me recall the fiendish development of pesticide resistant GMO crops, in particular by Monsanto/Bayer, so that the farmer uses their specific brand pesticides on them, destroying pretty much everything else growing in the process.
They've also designed GM crops that won't seed, so once you're signed up to them, you have to buy the seeds off Monsanto/Bayer every year, in perpetuity. Bill Gates has been a massive promoter of GM foods around the world. Their use in India caused absolute devastation, with 100s of 1000s of farmers losing their livelihoods in the process.
We need to work with nature, not against it. and I have to say the same thing applies to natural immunity. Natural is always best!!
The development of plants genetically modified to contain/create insecticides is even worse, especially if they hybridize with native/non-modified species
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