Plenty of bugs here.
The flies have reduced in the city since I was a kid. I thought that the introduction of dung beetles years ago was to help reduce the fly numbers.
Plenty of bugs here.
The flies have reduced in the city since I was a kid. I thought that the introduction of dung beetles years ago was to help reduce the fly numbers.
I agree, I think there are less flies around these days. But, as for spiders, I think I must have them all here. If I left the spider webs alone for a year, my house would look like the Adams Family house
Fly Joke: My mother-in-laws cooking was so bad, the flies pitched in and bought her fly screens! And yes, I did tell that one to my mother-in-law; hmmm, maybe that is why she is my ex mother-in-law now.
I see you are in Brisbane, but this Dec 20th 2011 Sydney Morning Herald article
by Deborah Smith which discusses the anecdotal decline in the numbers of Christmas
beetles in Sydney may be of interest.
Hi Gary,
I read a similar article if not the same one. This summer has been 3-4 degrees cooler up to now. Not as much rain (near record dry November)
Citrus trees have green fruit on and are in heavy blossom again.
Its weird! Frogs have not been as active as previous years. Maybe lack of rain. The frogs would come up to the windows at night, to pick off the insects attracted to the lights.
@ Peter (WA) Re: Spiders. If you get the opportunity capture a few geckos and release them on the house walls. They are magnificent in getting rid of spiders.
When I visit friends I make my observations. Conclusions are that geckos kill off spiders. Tell tale signs of geckos present are the small white tipped droppings on window sills. (The white being dried urine.)
I know of situations where people unwittingly got rid of the geckos. (yes it can be done but I will not disclose how.)
A year or so passed and the spiders invaded. Then they constantly sprayed with chemicals. I expect the flies and mossie numbers would have increased. I had no further contact with them. I don't know.
The geckos did everything. These people did not like the little droppings left behind. But those were remains of cycled spiders, mossies and flies.
Hi Trevor,
There has been a cycle that the birds have gone through here in and around Brisbane.
I can't comment on WA.
25 years ago many homes were being proofed by contractors against bird entry into roof voids. Most (nearly all) the invasive birds were introduced pests. Sparrows and Starlings.
This eventually resulted in their numbers greatly declining. The number native birds suffered while the pest numbers were up. Consequently the native bird population recovered.
I live about 40 klms north of Brisbane CBD. On 2 acres, with many big gum trees and fruit trees. The native bird population is fantastic here.
I sometimes leave some food out for them. Not a lot and not often. I don't want them becoming too dependant on my feeding them.
The visitors include a few dozen different species. Its interesting how they develope the feeding "pecking order". White Cockatoos first through the Galahs and eventually the Lorrikeets. Pale Headed Rosellas etc in between.
I have to agree, there does appear to be less insects around. I went for a drive to Merredin and back today, a distance of approx 600km round trip, and I didn't get as many bugs on my windscreen as I would have expected. I use to live in Merredin, (oh those wonderful dark skies) about 30 years ago and I remember then getting lots of bugs on my trip to Perth each weekend. So many, in fact, that I used to have a screen in front of my radiator.
Must be global warming! OR, the bugs have finally been bred with more road sense
Interesting observation. Although they have their part in the eco system I have noticed this summer the lack of flies and bugs in general around. Cicada's were a sign of a good summer and unless I've gone deaf or I unconsiously block them out, there doesn't seem to be as many now.
Maybe I should move to WA?
Baddad, I read a similar article to this one explaining how the decrease of frogs in nature was a definate sign of global warming, so that's a worry.
Don't you think there's been a whole lot of strange things happening to animals (and bugs) in general, lately? Remember in America last year when all those birds started dropping from the sky? Read a case in Norway recently where tonnes of fish landed on the shore-then disappeared days later.
I don't want to go preaching on the streets yelling 'the end is nigh', but this all sounds very odd indeed.
I have no idea what is happening up north, but the bugs and spiders and ants and Dragonflies etc are gaining in numbers down here at Snake Valley.
I only have to go for a 5 minute drive day or night and the windscreen is splattered.
I put some mesh on the front of my car during the recent Locust plague, and I'm glad I left it there as it still gets completely covered in insects every time I drive.
Our house has the same, or possibly more, spiders than a year ago.
My vegie garden has waayyy more insects than a year ago.
Cheryl and I are swatting little moth like critters (really tiny) every night as they flutter around our laptop screens each night in the house.
The Frogs have increased in numbers and voice, and I have many in my garden which I haven't had before. The Dam is inundated with them, but I love the sound of them all singing and chirping away
Flies? You betcha! Galore in the day time.
So, if anyone is missing an insect or two (trillion), they may be here. I can send them back if you want
Yes Wierd things are happening. Even the plants don't know what season it is.
Lemon tree with green fruit half grown and the tree flowers again.
The two orange trees are doing the same.
It may be because of prolonged overcast skies and suddenly clearing for long periods. ( Cleeewwwds Go Away )
and another one they don't mention is the increase of Kangaroos and Wallabies. Because of all the new lush greenery around this part of the country there are waayyyy more of them bounding out onto the road at dusk and night in amazing numbers!
The rains have changed the whole ecology dramatically.
Cicadas come to mind too. I haven't heard a single one in years.
They are in the bushland behind my place. In the early summer, and usually right through to early January, they are absolutely deafening - it is like daytime tinnitus.
As for the insects ... well, the magpie family in our area has no trouble grabbing a feed from my yard each day, and the kookas find heaps of worms to feed their 3 young.
Really interested in your comments about the lack of insect life. My other half is a beekeeper and has had his attention drawn to the damage being caused by neonicatinoids, insect sprays and treatments which have taken over the space left by the removal of organophosphates and other pesticides.
Unfortunately its not just bees who are affected, and while the absolute proof of the damage being caused is hard to find, a small amount of research on the internet (yes, a lot of scientific papers out there, not just rants from the disaffected) will reveal the story.
Seeds are treated and the poison becomes a systemic insecticide in the plant. A good example is canola - it permeates the plant and pollens, causing our poor old bees to become disorientated. Other beneficial insects are also affected and vanish.
Sprays of the nicatinoids (all of them, I gather) remain in the soil for many years, causing problems with worms and other soil inhabitants.
The whole family of these are now in ubiquitous use in the community, through our supermarkets, farming supply shops etc etc. I guess that the big chemical companies wanted treatments which had no apparent affect on
humans, as toxity of these substances on us appears to be safe, whereas the organophosphates and their ilk were apparently not so.
We have noticed on our farm since the floods last year a dearth of mosquitoes and other insect life. One would have expected huge numbers after the floods, but not so.
I read where even 1 part per billion has deleterious affects on insects, a staggeringly minute percentage. With bees it affects their neurotransmitters and they get lost.
There is a suspicion that this is part of the reason for the massive loss of bees in the USA. France and Germany have banned the substance because of observed losses from spraying near beehives.
We would be most interest to receive any comments re apparent insect losses in any areas.
Time to invoke the Precautionary Principle! [IMG]file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/Julie/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/msohtml1/01/clip_image001.gif[/IMG]
We get the usual Redback, White-tail and Black House spider plagues every summer. Lots of mozzies aswell. But there has been hardly any flies last couple of summers.
They're pretty much all at my place!!!
God-have-mercy they're everywhere.
Mozzies, gnats, butterflies, crickets, cicadas (the RACKET-you can't sleep at night), some massive black things with a spine (shudder!), damsel-flies, harlequin bugs, white-tails, huntsmen, orb-weavers and more frogs with legs than Multiweb could eat in a lifetime!
The locals tell me that this is a sign of a healthy ecosystem and I might put-up with it if it all wasn't going on in my living room at various times of year. I'm afraid to seek help in case they send a bunch of pimply, bearded DoE naturalists 'round to study it. They'd expect me to feed and house them while they put together some nonsensical theory about global-whatever-it-is-this-week.
Insecticide overuse is highly unlikely as most industrial one's are now "green" and work by physically blocking insects from breathing and gumming-up their mouth bits, meaning they are only effective on targeted crops and such.
There is no way that the amount of domestic-use pesticides used in all the world would have an appreciable impact on an insect population.
For what it's worth, the last winter was very wet here (wettest on record I think) and animals that had adapted to relatively dry conditions simply didn't bother pupating.
Don't worry though.
They'll be back.
Many insect species eggs/larvae/whatever can last for years in the ground or trees.
I'm stocking-up on "Mortein".
And yes, I did tell that one to my mother-in-law; hmmm, maybe that is why she is my ex mother-in-law now.
