@philippasmith2 also to be fair, they are an important food source for many things (I used to have crows digging the lawn up for them), so I'm all for any type of research. As a side issue, while I think a nice lawn can set-off many types of gardens, the fact that millions of us still use weed & feed products on our lawns (if we have lawns) is of far more concern to me as the stuff travels up the food chain.
A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
@BobTheGardener Yes, at least the report confirmed my earlier point about the food chain. Re the lawn feed and weed, I'm glad to say that I've never used it but it is obviously very popular. My grass area ( I would hesitate to call it a lawn ) is full of flowering stuff which is not only beneficial but nice to look at. Research is going on all the time but there are plenty of gaps - whether intentional or not.
I have certainly read that a reduction in the quantity of grazing pastures and a consequent shortage of leatherjackets is thought to be contributing to the decline in starling numbers in the UK.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
@Dovefromabove Yes, that had been mentioned as part of the Food Chain "argument" but I guess not every gardener realises the possible consequences simply because they only consider their individual lawns. However, a few million doing the same thing tends to add up. There's no doubt that a smooth green sward can look lovely and sets off the rest of the garden but sometimes it does come at a price.
@Fairygirl Annoyingly enough having said the above, I've been trying to find where the info I heard on the radio actually came from. Not a lot of luck other than an article in The Guardian entitled "Has the UK seen a plague of Craneflies this year " . It specifies the usual - such as are they dangerous, are they useful, etc. They go on to pose the question "Are they endangered ? " to which the reply is not as yet but they could become so. They don't specifically make the point about gardeners destroying them but they do mention how important they are in the food chain. I hadn't realised just how many species of Cranefly existed but I am assuming The Guardian's article is only really related to those in the UK. Sorry - not much help really. I guess like anything else, it is left up to people to decide for themselves and then it may become too late to reverse - same old, same old.
I don’t there there’s much justification to worry about their population now that the effective chemical used to treat them in the sports fields industry (golf, cricket, football etc etc) is banned. Other than nematodes there is now no effective treatment for them so their population will grow exponentially.
I'm assuming we have a leatherjacket problem though the grass seems OK. We
have loads of starlings pecking about in the grass in summer, but we still have what seems like hundreds of daddy-longlegs emerging, and as I have a complete phobia about them, it's not much fun!! Knowing that some folks won't agree with me, if they are an endangered species, I won't lose any sleep over it!!
I don’t there there’s much justification to worry about their population now that the effective chemical used to treat them in the sports fields industry (golf, cricket, football etc etc) is banned. Other than nematodes there is now no effective treatment for them so their population will grow exponentially.
You may well be right but that's quite often the thinking behind many endangered species - ignore it to begin with and then go into panic mode when it gets to a crisis point. I'm not saying this is the case here but it pays to consider what we are doing.
Nematodes as treatment for various problems have become popular in recent times - it may be interesting to see some unbiased research carried out with regard to the increasing use of them and the possible negative effects as well as expounding any benefits. As I have said, I appreciate that they can spoil the appearance of a lawn and many consider them a pest to be exterminated. All I am trying to get over is that they are an important part of the food chain and should be recognised as such. Deciding what natural species you class as a Pest is mostly a personal thing but a little more knowledge to back things up would help all of us enormously.
@Poly-anthus - That must be extremely irritating for you but the actual Crane flies won't be about for very long. They will either be eaten or will die. Easy to say but grit your teeth and think how you are helping nature You are right tho - it is a one of those subjects which create For and Against with little room for middle ground. Hope you manage to enjoy your garden nevertheless
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Re the lawn feed and weed, I'm glad to say that I've never used it but it is obviously very popular. My grass area ( I would hesitate to call it a lawn ) is full of flowering stuff which is not only beneficial but nice to look at.
Research is going on all the time but there are plenty of gaps - whether intentional or not.
problem is that when it’s at its driest, we’re all too busy gardening.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
There's no doubt that a smooth green sward can look lovely and sets off the rest of the garden but sometimes it does come at a price.
Nematodes as treatment for various problems have become popular in recent times - it may be interesting to see some unbiased research carried out with regard to the increasing use of them and the possible negative effects as well as expounding any benefits.
As I have said, I appreciate that they can spoil the appearance of a lawn and many consider them a pest to be exterminated. All I am trying to get over is that they are an important part of the food chain and should be recognised as such.
Deciding what natural species you class as a Pest is mostly a personal thing but a little more knowledge to back things up would help all of us enormously.
@Poly-anthus - That must be extremely irritating for you but the actual Crane flies won't be about for very long. They will either be eaten or will die. Easy to say but grit your teeth and think how you are helping nature You are right tho - it is a one of those subjects which create For and Against with little room for middle ground.
Hope you manage to enjoy your garden nevertheless