Insect Apocalypse on Main Street?

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(June 21, 2020) You can call it the Insect Apocalypse-Extinct-Ageddon. Or you can simply call it biodiversity decline. In either case, we’re in a world of hurt–and definitely fewer species of everything–as we lurch into the middle of the 21st century. This is something we discussed on our show as recently as November of last year.

Skip to a specific segment in this podcast.
2:47 Bill Stengel from Summit Responsible Solutions
25:46 Jim Elliott and Tinamarie Hernandez of Diveheart
48:00 Dr. May Berenbaum
1:26:34 Meteorologist Rick DiMaio

At that time, I wrote about a piece in Undark.

They were critical of the science and media’s coverage of the science surrounding “insectageddon.”

The story the media often misses is far more complex — and in some ways more dire — than the sensationalist fodder they frequently prefer to peddle. While the studies behind the Insectageddon story don’t provide evidence that all six-legged life on Earth is doomed, Saunders said, they do provide a window on how humans can impact biodiversity more generally.

A story in The Atlantic offers a similar perspective.

Which brings us to the monarch butterfly. We have covered the plight of Danaus plexippus on many shows. We have watch the numbers drop precipitously and then bounce back. Is this iconic species still in danger? We probably won’t know for awhile.

The point is that scientists are still grappling with species decline. Does it exists? Do we know how to measure it? If it is real, how can we reverse the trend? What does it mean to lose 40% of certain kinds of insects in one part of the world or on the whole planet? How should the media report on it?

Whether or not you believe we’re in the middle of the Sixth Mass Extinction, or an insect apocalypse, something is going on. It is tied to population, habitat loss, pesticide and other chemical use, agricultural development, and climate change, not necessarily in that order.

Pollinators are only one subset of the many different animals (and plants) that are disappearing. But June 22-28 is National Pollinator Week. So I went to the Pollinator Partnership and saw the name May Berenbaum, Ph.D. at the top of the list of science advisors. Dr. Berenbaum has been on this show several times, but not recently. I held my breath, called her office and…she picked up! Sometimes, chance is on your side. Dr. Berenbaum has been on the faculty of the Department of Entomology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign since 1980, serving as head since 1992 and as Swanlund Chair of Entomology since 1996.

And sometimes, as I learned, chance even drops a surprise in your lap. The day before I spoke to her, she had done an online presentation for 300 Illinois Master Naturalists. Its title was “Is There a Pollinator-Apocalypse?” Bingo. Here’s Dr. Berenbaum’s abstract for her talk.

With more than a million described species, the Class Insecta is most  species-rich group of multicellular organisms on Earth; insects can be  found in virtually all habitats on the planet. Several recent studies  have documented dramatic declines in local insect biomass and species  numbers, suggesting that the spectacular diversity of insects that has  characterized life on Earth for millions of years might be at risk. The  magnitude of declines is open to debate, as are the possible causes,  among the many candidates of which are habitat loss, intensification of  agriculture, invasive species, and climate change. Among the irreplaceable ecosystem services provided by many insects is pollination of flowering plants, more than 75% percent of which depend on insects in order to reproduce. Some of the most conspicuous and well-documented declines in diversity and abundance  involve  pollinating bees, flower flies, moths, and butterflies. Protecting pollinators, however, has  only recently become a priority. Whether people can  be persuaded to watch out for the pollinators on which 3/4 of the world’s flowering plants and one-third of the world’s crop plants is a challenge that should supersede the differences that usually  divide them. 

I haven’t seen the video, but Dr. Berenbaum sent me her slide show. There are 92 slides, each of which could take 20 minutes to explain. That’s a scientist for you.

She doesn’t really come to the conclusion that we are in the middle of a pollinator or an insect apocalypse. But that’s also something I expect from a scientist. As she states in the talk, many of the studies were done in specific areas using specific species. As a scientist, she wants more information and better methodology. Scientists understand that generalizing with limited data is not science at all. In that regard, she echoes the journalists I quoted earlier in this blog post.

Her talk isn’t exactly new. She has been spreading the gospel of insect awareness for her entire career. For that, Dr. Berenbaum received the National Medal of Science in a White House ceremony in 2014. That’s the photo on the right. And she has some very practical advice for the average home owner.

“Get rid of your lawns,” she said. “Lawns are total biological deserts. It’s just grass with pesticides. The way it’s grown does not support a lot of biodiversity.”

Instead, plant native flowers that provide nectar and pollen for pollinators, Berenbaum said.

Another tip: Leave leaf litter in place. The dead plant material is an important part of healthy soil and offers protection for insects during the winter, Berenbaum said.

Also, don’t use bug zappers, which Berenbaum said do not work in killing mosquitoes but do kill hundreds of beneficial species.

In other words, would it kill you to show a little respect for insects? I can assure her that’s the very thing we do on this program.

Speaking of insect apocalypse…

We just learned that we’re embarking on National Pollinator Week. But roughly the same seven day period is also National Mosquito Control Awareness Week. Notice that nobody is trying to “control” pollinators. But mosquitoes are pollinators, too, so what gives? Yes, we know that mosquitoes are often considered “the most dangerous animal on earth.” Bill Gates seems to think so.

What makes mosquitoes so dangerous? Despite their innocuous-sounding name—Spanish for “little fly”—they carry devastating diseases. The worst is malaria, which kills more than 600,000 people every year; another 200 million cases incapacitate people for days at a time. It threatens half of the world’s population and causes billions of dollars in lost productivity annually. Other mosquito-borne diseases include dengue fever, yellow fever, and encephalitis.

But before we get to how to control mosquitoes, let’s remember that, like all animals on this planet, they serve a purpose, too.

Rescuing lives through scuba diving

A long time ago, in a radio galaxy far, far away, I worked for a Death Star known as Gargantua Radio. The halls were littered with $20 bills and billions of people listened to every word that was spoken there. Some listeners had the frequency chip implanted in their brains so they could permanently hear the station without an actual device. Nobody who worked there was ever fired and every employee–even interns–automatically and immediately went into the Radio Hall of Fame.

Okay, some of that isn’t exactly true. It’s what I kind of remember, so sue me.

But I did meet some pretty cool people. One of them was a guy named Jim Elliott, who in 1996 bailed on Radio Nirvana to help people. He became a full-time volunteer and began teaching individuals with disabilities how to scuba dive. Whaa? Five years later, in 2001, he founded Diveheart, a volunteer-driven organization focused on building confidence and independence in disabled children, adults and veterans through scuba diving.

Then, just before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, I ran into Elliott again, and we agreed that he needed to be on my radio show. Not that he needs the publicity. His organization has been featured on local outlets like ABC7Chicago, WGNTV, and TEDx Naperville, as well as CNN, NBC, Money Magazine, Huffington Post, and more.

Here’s how Diveheart describes its purpose.