A recent article highlighted how a giant insect ecosystem is collapsing due to human interference.
Despite surviving for millions of years, they are beginning to disappear, the writer noted with agriculture and chemicals used to keep insects away from crops causing a major threat.
As the human population continues to grow, so will the demand for food and the need to grow more crops, and most likely use of more chemicals will threaten insect numbers even more. But insects play a crucial role in pollinating fruit crops and wild plants. Without them, fresh produce supply will decline considerably.
Insects are also a vital part of the food chain. According to the author, British farmland birds such as the grey partridge and the spotted flycatcher have decreased in number by more than 95 percent. Another species, the red-backed shrike, became extinct almost 30 years ago. The author traced their respective declines and extinction to the alarming disappearance of insects which these birds consume.
Because industrialised farming and pesticide-based agriculture are accepted societal norms, the writer predicts a bleak future for insects in the 21st century. If farmers continue pursuing these methods aggressively, it will be hard to meet the demands of an increasing worldwide population which might reach the 12 billion mark by the year 2100.
This is even more reason to ensure we have insect screens in place, it is the best way to keep bugs out of your home without killing them and decreasing insect numbers further.
Read more at https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/oct/21/insects-giant-ecosystem-collapsing-human-activity-catastrophe