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INSECTS

GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
in Plants
 Following the post on another thread from @McRazz do you have concerns about the lack of insects in your garden? I have seen the odd ladybird but less hoverflies than in some years.
Perhaps the cold winter didn't help? Do you have slug and snails problems or are there less than normal. I would be interested in your thoughts. 
I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
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  • AthelasAthelas Posts: 946
    edited June 2023
    I haven’t got a subscription but there’s an article on the Telegraph that says “Drought conditions last year have reduced the number of insects in recent months because of the impact on their larvae, conservationists say. The number of flying insects are lower than usual at this time of the year, according to anecdotal evidence from experts and citizen scientists.”

    (https://www.msn.com/en-ie/cars/news/fewer-bugs-this-summer-because-their-larvae-died-in-last-years-drought-experts-say/ar-AA1c3aVG)

    I’ve definitely noticed fewer ladybirds, hoverflies and bees. I would say the normal amount of aphids, and I’m hoping they will tempt predators in... Thankfully no rose sawfly or rosemary beetles (as yet). I used to see a lot of cuckoo spit but hardly any so far.

    I’m hoping this year things will rebalance. I don’t spray and I have a lot of insect friendly plants (in a very small garden) plus a drinking pool for them, so hopefully that will give some support.

    I use nematodes for slugs so can’t tell if they are appreciably fewer; so far only a handful seen this year, and the same for snails.

    The insect drinking pool (needs refilling):

    Cambridgeshire, UK
  • PoppypussPoppypuss Posts: 143
    Athelas said:
     I used to see a lot of cuckoo spit but hardly any so far.


    I was only thinking yesterday that the frog spit has just emerged. I've not noticed much of a reduction here (West Lancashire), bees are all over the alliums at the moment and we have a variety of beetles, including my nemesis the Lily Beetle. The birds are very active though, compared to last year when a lot failed to nest. Its noticable that there are more insects over the water next to the garden than last year. 
  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    The one thing I have noticed that there are plenty of ground beetles. Thankyou @Athelas for your post I am sure many gardeners will have noticed the decline.
    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
  • fidgetbonesfidgetbones Posts: 17,618
    Still very low numbers in last nights moth trap. I did get a small magpie though, first for me. Really annoying its a micro moth, but not that small. I spent ages looking at the moth book, before thinking its like that but small, look in the micros book and thereit is.
  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505
    No ladybirds but I only see one or two anyway in a normal year. . Plenty of what I assume are viburnam beetle grubs. They're in the council bin.
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • Slow-wormSlow-worm Posts: 1,630
    edited June 2023
    Poor things, they've got it bad enough without losing more numbers.
    There are definitely fewer here, I've seen one hoverfly so far, hardly any bees - the bufftails are usually all over the salvias foxgloves and poppies by now, I've seen only baby ladybirds - unless there's some really tiny species.. we don't see that many butterflies here, but there's only been about two so far. Lacewings seem to be up a bit though.
    Snails are definitely down, same as last year, but we had a hedgehog visiting then, and I've seen no hog poo. Not sure about slugs as I haven't got to check too many plants at 1am now 😄, the big uns are usually rampant here, and mating all over the place, but it seems not.. photo from a couple of years back. 

  • CrazybeeladyCrazybeelady Posts: 778
    @Slow-worm if you mean you've seen really small ladybird shaped ladybirds, then they are adults that are just meant to be small. The babies are a very different beast to their parents, there's a thread about them on here somewhere that always gets brought back to life each summer. 
    Those slugs are disgusting 🤣
  • Slow-wormSlow-worm Posts: 1,630
    Crazybeelady said:
    @Slow-worm if you mean you've seen really small ladybird shaped ladybirds, then they are adults that are just meant to be small. The babies are a very different beast to their parents, there's a thread about them on here somewhere that always gets brought back to life each summer. 
    Those slugs are disgusting 🤣
    🤣🤣🤣 They're cute!! 🤣

    Oh yes, aren't the babies long bodied and soft? Thanks, I'll have a gander at the thread if I can find it.
    These ones are teeny, about 2mm.
  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505
    Here you go @Slow-worm https://forum.gardenersworld.com/discussion/1051564/this-is-not-a-pest#latest
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Lovely wee moth @fidgetbones :)
    Interesting about the froghoppers/cuckoo spit. I've just been seeing some around the garden in the last few days, and then I read part of a scaremongering article about it possibly becoming a problem because of the spread of xylella diseases [spread by insects which feed on the xylem in plants] which are happening elsewhere in Europe. It annoyed me so much I didn't read it all.
    It was written in such a way that people unfamiliar with these little insects, in particular, might be tempted to destroy them, when the reality is that they are harmless. It would only be introduced here if infected plants came in.  :/
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
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