BuzzerB
Saturday 11th July 2009, 23:54
I am a new beekeeper and this has opened up new thinking to me, considering the bee collapse situation, and what could be causing it. Insect eating birds also appear to be in trouble.|=(|
I remember [showing my age here] the early fifties and how insect impact was such a problem on car windscreens. It was often the case you had to stop the car to scrape off insects so you could see where you were going. You probably never saw the invention of a yellow Perspex insect deflector that sprouted on many a car bonnet! In the late fifties we installed electricity here in our countryside home in Worcestershire. Every time we put on the outside light, vast amounts of insects would congregate. Much more than occurs now.
In 1962 the M5 motorway was built, and later that was illuminated. I have often wondered what happened to all the insects which were attracted to this extraneous night light and if there were any hidden side effects
I watch the flight of swifts and house martins hoovering up insects on the wing - could it be a speculation too far to connect night illumination with the loss of flying insects in vast numbers which thus increases bee vulnerability, because insect eating birds now have no other food choice? [Bees do not fly at night.]
Surely someone else has made this connection?
It would be interesting to see other’s thoughts.
I remember [showing my age here] the early fifties and how insect impact was such a problem on car windscreens. It was often the case you had to stop the car to scrape off insects so you could see where you were going. You probably never saw the invention of a yellow Perspex insect deflector that sprouted on many a car bonnet! In the late fifties we installed electricity here in our countryside home in Worcestershire. Every time we put on the outside light, vast amounts of insects would congregate. Much more than occurs now.
In 1962 the M5 motorway was built, and later that was illuminated. I have often wondered what happened to all the insects which were attracted to this extraneous night light and if there were any hidden side effects
I watch the flight of swifts and house martins hoovering up insects on the wing - could it be a speculation too far to connect night illumination with the loss of flying insects in vast numbers which thus increases bee vulnerability, because insect eating birds now have no other food choice? [Bees do not fly at night.]
Surely someone else has made this connection?
It would be interesting to see other’s thoughts.