And yet, despite their regular appearances in said gardens, it’s comparatively rare that people’s passions extend to insects. Maybe that’s why, when we hear about the decimation of insect populations at a global scale, we have to remind ourselves why we’re bothered. The best we have are six years of data on a small number bumblebee species, and 10 years’ worth on a small number butterfly species. What they need is very different to what aquatic insects need (and they’re in even bigger trouble than the landlubbers), and different again to the needs of meat-eating insects, or parasitoids, or insects that feed on wastes. The only things sparser than Ireland’s insect data are the volunteers that we rely on to collect it.

Source: The Irish Times March 28, 2019 06:00 UTC