Many doomsday scenarios can take us straight to the end of the world. Some are faster than others, but some go almost unnoticed. The most striking example is insects. A recent study with 27 years of data shows that the biomass of flying insects has dropped by 76 percent across 63 nature reserves in Germany. If this trend continues across the planet, scientists warn that an “ecological Armageddon” will be guaranteed, and that everything else, including humans, will disappear along with the insects.
Many people hate spiders. There isn't much appreciation for cockroaches either. I can still hear my neighbor screaming at the ants, and I'm personally at war with mosquitoes. The constant annoyance, disease transmission, and their role as indicators of other problems (decay and dirt are good references) turn most insects into the most hated creatures on the planet. Over the last decades, we've developed countless resources to keep insect populations at bay—but we need them far more than we imagine.
The Study
A study published in mid-October by researchers from Radboud University, the Krefeld Entomological Society, and the University of Sussex shows that flying insect biomass has decreased alarmingly over the past 27 years. Thanks to the work of dozens of amateur entomologists using standardized collection methods, more than 1,500 samples of flying insects were gathered from 63 nature reserves in Germany. The average annual biomass loss during those 27 years is 76 percent, with a peak of 82 percent in the summer, when insect numbers are supposed to be at their highest.
Why Are They Disappearing?
Previous reports on insect declines often focused on a specific type of insect, but this new study covers all types of flying insects, including flies and wasps. And the worst part is we don't know why. The type of habitat, its basic characteristics, land use, and climate changes do not explain such a massive biomass loss. Initial suspicions among experts point to the use of pesticides in agriculture, but they also consider a lack of food, or a combination of both. One thing is certain: the ecological functions of insects are critical. Without them by our side, the negative changes in the world may become irreversible.
