Offer a home to a beetle, or two?
by The blog at woodlands.co.uk, 18 June, 2021, 0 comments
Across the globe, insects are in decline. There are several (over-lapping) causes of the decline, ranging from habitat loss, the effect of artificial lighting, the use of agrochemicals (e.g. the neonicotinoids) and herbicides, such as glyphosate. The latter is one of the most commonly used weedkillers and might not be expected to affect insects. However, recent research has shown that it can affect the formation of the hard exoskeleton of beetles. It does this by affecting their symbiotic bacteria; these contribute an essential building block (an amino acid) for the exoskeleton.
Early summer should be ‘peak beetle time’ Read more...
