UK Nature and Environment

389 readers

49 users here now

General Instance Rules:

No racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia or xenophobia.
No incitement of violence or promotion of violent ideologies.
No harassment, dogpiling or doxxing of other users.
Do not share intentionally false or misleading information.
Do not spam or abuse network features.

Community Specific Rules:

Keep posts UK-specific. There are other places on Lemmy to post articles which relate to global environmental issues (e.g. slrpnk.net).
Keep comments in English so that they can be appropriately moderated.

Note: Our temporary logo is from The Wildlife Trusts. We are not officially associated with them.

Our autumn banner is a shot of maple leaves by Hossenfeffer.

founded 1 year ago

MODERATORS

[email protected]

How beneficial insects can help nature and food production - Farmers Weekly (www.fwi.co.uk)

submitted 4 weeks ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

1 comments fedilink hide all child comments

It will come as little surprise to many to learn that a long-running study into insect populations in cereal crops – the Sussex Study – has shown a decline, linked to the intensification of agriculture over many decades. What is startling, however, is the extent of that loss.

A recent assessment of the study, which dates back to 1968, by the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT), shows that insect abundance had declined by 37% in the 50 years up to 2019.

Numbers of ground beetles and ladybirds have fallen by 80% and 78% respectively, both classed as beneficial predators, while a 90% reduction was recorded in numbers of aphids, a food source for invertebrates.

top 1 comments

sorted by: hot top controversial new old

[–] [email protected] 3 points 4 weeks ago

Beetle banks are particularly good at harbouring predatory beneficial insects such as ground beetles, ladybirds and spiders. When in close proximity to crops, the invertebrates will eat nearby pests.

Broad- and fine-leaved grasses can provide different functions within beetle banks. For example, tussock-forming grasses are important as overwintering sites for invertebrates, and herbs can be added for greater diversity.

I'd never heard of beetle banks before. Interesting article, definitely worth a read.