A good article on how climate change is causing problems for the insect world, and how honey bees might give us a window into natural insect declines.
Posts By: Peter Brezny
The dangers of anthropomorphism for honey bees
Dr. David Tarpey, who I highly respect, penned a recent article comparing what we’re doing to reduce the spread of COVID-19 to honey bee management practices:https://entomology.ces.ncsu.edu/2020/04/host-shifts-and-honey-bees-lessons-from-covid-19/ While I appreciate his work and concerns, the establishment, perhaps as a result of corporate pesticide funding (see my previous post: http://www.psychochickenecofarm.com/2020/03/04/pollinators-and-politics/) has missed a great opportunity to promote… Read more »
Pollinators and Politics
Follow the money, and you’ll find the primary problems facing insect life, and as a consequence, all life on earth. https://theintercept.com/2020/01/18/bees-insecticides-pesticides-neonicotinoids-bayer-monsanto-syngenta/ It’s worth stating again: 98% of insects are not considered crop pests. Broad spectrum insecticides don’s discriminate between the ‘bad’ and good insects.
Vote for sustainability, with your wallet.
It’s easy to get frustrated with our seeming inability to make positive change for the good of the environment (and thus ourselves) when powerful corporate lobbyists seem to have unlimited funds to buy politicians. But as consumers, we actually have a lot of power collectively. https://www.smartbrief.com/original/2019/11/sustainability-2019-evolving-consumer-priorities-around-purchasing-and Clean water is a critical natural resource that is… Read more »
Insects and Life
This little guy, identified by the NCSU Extension agents as a crane fly, has a lot of friends living in our hoop house right now. Frequently, when a farmer talks about insects, we expect them to be referring to a pest or problem. A fun fact I learned at a Xerces society beneficial insect class… Read more »