Wild About Britain - 2009 Insect numbers

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2009 Insect numbers

2009 Insect numbers

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06-07-2009 12:22 PM - permalink

Dogghound

What are your thoughts on this years insect numbers?

Do you think that the cold winter has taken affect?

Do you think numbers are up or down?

Are habitats being lost or made where you live?

What species are we seeing alot of? like the painted lady influx this year

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07-07-2009 11:46 AM - permalink

Kayleigh

I think the insect numbers are picking up from the last few cold wet summers.
There seems to be more bees around this year and I have seen a lot more un IDd insects but I have a new lens so I was not looking that close last year.
The first time in 3 years we had a hummingbird hawk moth back in the garden.
Also I seem to get a lot of the mealworm adult beetles in the house 3 over the last few nights.
One even landed on my computer desk when I was typing that gave me a fright..
I am not good with butterfly ids but there are lots no hundreds of ringlets around the fields even some in the garden..
We have a village pond, last there were hundreds of blue damselflies this year there are none..
I have no idea why..

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07-07-2009 07:38 PM - permalink

Dogghound

Yes it does seem like a good butterfly year loads of painted lady and small tortoiseshell larvae around. Interesting regarding the damselflies. I wouldnt expect an entire population to vanish.

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07-07-2009 10:06 PM - permalink

GrayB

I'm actually disappointed with the amount of insects i'm finding in my garden this year, i seem to be finding alot of nymphs but by June the adults are usually roaming all over, to date i think i've only seen three adult plant bugs.
I'm also used to seeing a large variety of flies and hoverflies but so far they also seem to be few and far between.
I have a very small pond in my garden and i mean small 2ftx2ft and this seems to be the only place with any kind of life, i even had a damselfly emerge from it this year but otherwise the only insects that seem to be in abundance are psyllids.
Though i don't think this is down to nature, more to do with greed as the only piece of woodland we had close by was cut down three months ago to make way for..... ( wait for it ) ...... a car park for a new Tesco's, so although i'm disappointed, i at least know who's to blame.
I'm just hoping things pick up with whats left of the insect season.
Gray.

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08-07-2009 10:43 PM - permalink

harasseddad

disappearing damsleflies suggests either pollution or someone's put fish in it. But fish would reduce but not eliminate them. Perhaps someone's chucked an empty bottle of something nasty in?
Numbers here in Norfolk seem about average - certainly not booming despite warmer weather of late. But the local moth group report good catches in their light traps.

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09-07-2009 05:48 PM - permalink

Dutchess

I have noticed quite a dramatic increase in Froghoppers in my garden this season. "Spittle" is everywhere, even on plants and shrubs that in other years I have not even noticed play host to the creatures. Everywhere I walk in the garden, I seem to get smeared with the spit! Sitting at the patio table, I often have the creatures land on me, or nearby. Yes, there is definitely more of them! I suppose that's bad news for the plants but good news for the birds...

D.

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11-07-2009 10:09 PM - permalink

Kayleigh

Regarding the damselflies I saw 1 today.
The same pond has tiny froglets leaving so this lays to rest the pollution theory not seen any fish inn there either.
Not seen many dragonflies either but I saw one in the middle of Northampton city centre..How mad is that...

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15-01-2010 10:49 PM - permalink

WhiskyBottle

Another cold winter.

Be interesting to see if this pushes back some of the recent colonisers from the continent

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